Wind turbine inspection services for blades, gearboxes and towers

These are planning ranges, not quotes. Site access, wind speed windows, crew size and report depth change the real price, and a single call out costs more than a campaign across a whole farm.

Blades take the most wear and the most insurance claims. Operators usually start with a drone survey because it needs no climbing and no shutdown beyond a short stop, and a crew covers three to eight turbines a day when the wind allows. Photos are stitched per blade and per face, and the report ranks each defect on the owner or OEM damage scale, from cosmetic to severe. When the drone shows a crack or a bond line opening, rope access with a tap test or an ultrasonic spot check sizes it before you decide on a repair. Our drone inspection services page explains what a drone sees and what it misses, and drone inspection cost gives price ranges for other assets.

Oil debris alarms and vibration trends tell you a gearbox has a problem. A borescope tells you which gear or bearing and how bad it is. The crew passes a probe through the inspection ports, photographs each gear stage and records pitting and scuffing against the gearbox maker or ISO criteria. Done as a campaign across ten or more turbines, the price per turbine falls well below a single call out. See borescope inspection for the method and the borescope inspection cost guide for gearbox pricing.

Fatigue cracks start at weld toes, door frames and flange connections. Phased array or conventional UT checks the weld volume, and magnetic particle testing finds surface cracks at the toes. Crews climb or use lifts, so the inspection is scheduled with a service visit. Read ultrasonic testing services for how the method works and what it costs, and magnetic particle inspection for surface checks.

Wind farm owners and asset managers order blade surveys on a yearly or two yearly cycle and before warranty expiry. Independent service providers buy borescope and weld checks on behalf of owners. Lenders and insurers ask for condition reports before a financing or a renewal. Buyers of a used farm order a baseline inspection of all turbines during due diligence. Operators hit by a lightning strike or a gearbox alarm need a fast, targeted inspection of one turbine.

1. You send the site, turbine make and model, number of turbines, what you want to know and the preferred window.
2. The inspection company proposes methods and a plan, including crew size, weather margin and how many turbines per day.
3. Crews mobilize, complete site safety induction and inspect in the agreed window. Wind speed limits for flying and climbing add days, so a weather margin belongs in the plan.
4. A qualified technician reviews photos, scans and readings and records each finding against the damage scale or acceptance criteria.
5. You receive a report per turbine with photos, defect location, severity and a recommended action. Urgent findings are usually flagged by phone or email the same day.

Cost depends far more on logistics than on the instrument. A farm of 30 turbines inspected in one campaign costs much less per turbine than three separate visits.

• Drone blade survey. $400 to $1,200 per turbine, typically $1,500 to $4,500 per crew day.
• Rope access blade inspection. $1,000 to $2,500 per turbine with a two person team.
• Gearbox borescope. $500 to $1,500 per turbine in a campaign.
• Tower weld UT or PAUT. $1,200 to $3,500 per turbine depending on how many welds and flanges.
• Mobilization and travel. $500 to $3,000 per trip for remote sites.
• Standby for weather. Many contracts bill a reduced day rate when wind stops work, so ask how it is defined.

For a full breakdown with example quotes, read wind turbine inspection cost.

Look for GWO certified climbers and operators with a drone authorization for your airspace. Ask for a sample report on a turbine like yours and how they rank defects. Check that blade inspectors hold an NDT qualification for the methods used and that the borescope and UT personnel are qualified to ASNT SNT-TC-1A or equivalent. Confirm insurance, references on similar farms and how fast they deliver the first report after a campaign day.