Unveiling Economic Opportunities for Air Transport Logistic Scenarios in Offshore Windfarms

Abstract

Offshore wind farms are characterized by distributed marine wind energy plants and infrastructure. The study investigates the logistics and economic benefits for the transportation of materials and technicians using drones in comparison to helicopters or maritime service vessels. For this purpose, the study employs cargo and passenger drones as an innovative solution for planned and unplanned maintenance of offshore wind energy plants, aiming to replace certain segments of the logistics chain. Various scenarios are defined to assess the feasibility of drone integration. An adapted operating cost model is employed to quantify the economic benefits of drones over traditional transport systems. The analysis anticipates varied service levels from a drone operator perspective. Substituting specific sub-chains is deemed viable in the short term, while managing the entire life cycle of wind parks with drones could render helicopters and service vessels redundant, resulting in reduced maintenance costs for the offshore wind farm. Due to low annoyance and minimal ground risks from drones over water, coupled with potential cost savings in the logistic chain, servicing offshore wind parks could emerge as a significant application for drones. The study combines aspects of air transport operations and management with state-of-the-art offshore wind industry procedures and cost modelling. The results aim to elucidate the potential and the economic benefits of utilizing drones in offshore wind farms. These potential application scenarios for drones could represent one of the initial use cases demonstrating economic viability.