CleanWinTur – An ultrasonic system for anti-fouling and condition monitoring of offshore wind turbines

Offshore wind turbines will soon clean their own access ladders using ultrasound, UV light, and heat, eliminating the need for dangerous manual scrubbing. Marine growth—barnacles, mussels, and algae—clings to turbine structures, especially the ladders crews must climb for maintenance. Currently, workers scrape this off by hand, a slow, hazardous job that becomes more expensive and difficult as turbines are built farther from shore and in deeper water. The CleanWinTur system replaces this manual labour with permanently installed sensors and sterilisation units that prevent growth from taking hold in the first place. If successful, the technology could cut maintenance costs for offshore wind farms, which have doubled in capacity every five years and are set to continue expanding through 2030. Cheaper maintenance means lower energy costs overall, and safer working conditions for the technicians who keep the turbines running. The system also monitors the condition of the ladders themselves, catching corrosion or damage early. This is applied engineering with a clear, near-term payoff: cleaner access, fewer boat trips, and less risk for the people who maintain the UK’s offshore wind infrastructure.