Ilika has announced a partnership to deploy Stereax solid state battery powered devices for the condition monitoring of wind turbines with Titan Wind Energy. The deployment will be part of a two-year collaborative project with the Chinese wind turbine manufacturer, with support from the University of Chester and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA).
The GBP 1.0 million development project is supported by Innovate UK funding of GBP 0.4 million. The Chinese partners will receive similar funding from Jiangsu Province. The primary objective of this project is to develop an integrated smart sensor powered by a combined vibration harvester and a Stereax battery, to be incorporated into the composite structure of wind turbine blades. The smart composite will be able to perform autonomous structural condition monitoring of the blades, to detect the early signs of damage and enable predictability in maintenance scheduling and prevent the icing of the blades. In addition, the company has appointed Lu Ming, as business development officer with responsibility for driving future collaborations and commercial partnerships in China.