DNV is leading an industry initiative to develop a new wind energy standard for next-generation blades

Improved reliability standards are essential to keep pace with industry advancements. The goal of the project was to deliver greater reliability and efficiency across the industry and focus on meeting the unique requirements for large, flexible blades for multi-megawatt turbines. It introduced comprehensive measures that had not been previously considered in the industry.

“The pace of development of modern wind turbines requires that industry standards keep pace with changing trends and technologies,” said Kim Sandgaard-Mørk, executive vice president of renewable energy certification at DNV. “Through the development of industry service documents such as service specifications, standards and recommended practices, DNV is actively engaged in the development of the renewable energy sector. This update underlines our commitment to driving innovation and quality in the wind energy sector. By prioritizing reliability and safety, our goal is to increase industry confidence and support the global transition towards sustainable energy solutions.

During the project, 26 leading companies in the wind turbine sector, including manufacturers, operators and certification bodies, contributed to the refinement and review of the standard. This inclusive approach provides a comprehensive framework that addresses the diverse needs of the industry ecosystem.

“Not all wind turbine blades are created equal,” added Christopher Harrison, principal engineer and service line leader for component certification in DNV’s Energy Systems division. “Different design assumptions and methods, along with varying performance during validation testing, can result in different blade performance over their lifetime. As stakeholders in the wind energy sector, it is critical that we understand and mitigate these risks.”

Key features of the updated standard include:

Increased reliability thanks to stringent requirements and approach.

Alignment with international standards, helping to streamline certification processes.

Introducing innovative concepts such as fault tolerance, raising safety standards to a new level.

Greater emphasis on design for manufacturing and understanding the relationship between manufacturing quality and reliability.

Unlike previous standards that focused solely on safety, DNV-ST-0376 sets a new benchmark by considering reliability as a fundamental principle. The initiative focused on three key areas:

Quality Design Standard: DNV has updated the DNV-ST-0376 blade standard to address real-world failure modes and defects in large, flexible blades in multi-megawatt turbines.

Alignment with other international standards: Where possible, DNV has aligned the requirements of DNV-ST-0376 with IEC 61400-5, with input from other certification bodies.

Stakeholder education: DNV conducted seminars in Hamburg, Copenhagen and Shanghai to educate developers, owners and operators on the relationship between design assumptions, test results and long-term blade functionality, enabling informed decision-making in the turbine certification process.

“Our goal was to provide wind turbine stakeholders with the tools and knowledge necessary to deal with the complex issues associated with blade development,” Harrison added. “By working together on this industry project, we were able to make improvements to standards that benefited the entire industry.”

Additional information:

DNV