Among rolling mountains and open wilderness, wind turbines stand tall atop hilltops. Most wind farms lie in high lightning-strike zones. Hidden risks including poor contact of blade lightning receptors, abnormal lightning conduction paths and grounding failures constantly threaten the safe and stable operation of turbine units. The traditional inspection method using elevated gondolas carries high risks, low efficiency and heavy shutdown losses. The industry is in urgent need of a field-proven unmanned lightning protection inspection solution suitable for on-site deployment.

Recently, Weize Tethered delivered wind turbine resistance testing equipment to Huaneng Tieling Daxing Wind Power Co., Ltd. Meanwhile, we completed on-site delivery of the FC100 industrial UAV and supporting blade lightning conduction inspection tooling project for Huaneng New Energy Shaanxi Branch. The whole delivery process was video-recorded for filing. Following the successful implementation of two previous national-level projects, we won the bid for the wind turbine blade lightning conduction inspection equipment project of CPI Northeast Energy Technology Co., Ltd. last week. This marks continuous new progress in the company’s market expansion in this sector.

On-site Deployment | Tackle Real Wind Farm Operating Conditions & Complete Full Delivery and Commissioning

Unlike laboratory tests, the wind farm owned by SDIC Energy features complex terrain, high-altitude turbulence and frequent gusts, imposing strict requirements on equipment adaptability, system stability and operating procedures.

Upon arrival at the wind farm, the on-site technical team of Weize Tethered followed standard project delivery procedures: unpacking and inventorying equipment, rapid assembly of modular components, adjustment of conductive copper mesh assemblies, wiring and commissioning of the tethered winch system, and calibration of flight parameters for the FC100 industrial UAV. Targeted optimization was carried out according to the blade curved surfaces and actual dimensions of lightning receptors at the site to avoid various environmental interferences.

Under real operating conditions with gust disturbances, the equipment maintained stable hovering and reliable fitting of the copper mesh assembly, effectively solving poor high-altitude contact and signal drift. Multiple sets of inspection data were transmitted in real time with traceability and good repeatability. The team successfully completed lightning conduction tests on multiple turbine blades, and the whole workflow was recognized by on-site staff of SDIC Energy.

Five Field-verified Advantages to Address Real Pain Points in Wind Farm O&M

Validated through field operations at the SDIC Energy wind farm, the complete FC100 copper mesh wind turbine lightning protection inspection solution delivers full performance in real-world scenarios:
✅ Flexible structural adaptation to eliminate unstable contact
The conductive copper mesh can be adjusted on-site to fit lightning receptors of various sizes and curved blade surfaces. The flexible structure cushions flight impact without damaging blade paint, expands the effective contact area to prevent poor high-altitude contact, and delivers accurate, stable test data complying with industrial lightning protection specifications.

✅ Outstanding wind resistance of FC100 platform to extend field operation windows
Against high-altitude turbulence and irregular gusts common at wind farms, the FC100 industrial UAV boasts sufficient power reserve and high positioning hovering accuracy. It reduces risks of fitting failure and test interruption caused by shaking, and greatly improves operation success rates under complex wind conditions compared with traditional solutions.

✅ Intelligent tether tension control to avoid cable hazards
The self-developed tethered winch system operates stably on-site. It automatically retracts and releases cables according to the UAV’s height and position to prevent cable slack, pulling and tangling. Continuous power supply breaks the endurance limit of standalone UAVs, enabling uninterrupted batch inspection of multiple turbines to support regular patrols at wind farms.

✅ Ground-based unmanned operation for improved safety and efficiency
All operations are controlled from the ground, completely eliminating personal safety risks of high-altitude work. Field tests show a full lightning protection inspection for one turbine takes only dozens of minutes, over 5 times more efficient than traditional manual elevated operations. It shortens turbine downtime, reduces power generation losses, and cuts costs for high-altitude equipment rental and labor.

✅ Modular and lightweight design for rapid deployment across complex terrain
The whole system is split into modular parts for easy transportation. It can be quickly set up and commissioned in remote wind farms like the SDIC Energy project, compatible with mountains, hills, plains and other wind farm types. It covers annual inspections, hidden danger rechecks, batch sampling inspections and other diversified O&M scenarios.

Practical Deployment Validates Replicable Wind Power O&M Solutions

A qualified solution cannot be judged merely by theoretical parameters; it must be tested at wind farms under real operating conditions.

The SDIC Energy on-site delivery project serves as an important milestone for Weize Tethered’s complete wind turbine lightning protection inspection solution, covering iterative R&D, field deployment, on-site verification and official delivery. The control system, operation logic and equipment integration technology are all independently developed. This wind farm test further verified the solution’s reliability, environmental adaptability and capability for mass replicated delivery.

Going forward, Weize Tethered will continue to focus on low-altitude intelligent O&M for wind power. We will carry out more on-site projects, iterate hardware and software based on field feedback, and develop standardized, mature and deployable lightning protection inspection solutions for wind turbines. We help new energy farms achieve quality improvement, cost reduction and efficiency gains, and empower high-quality development of clean energy industries.

For enquiries about the complete wind turbine lightning protection inspection solution, equipment specifications, project cases, on-site delivery and customized O&M services, please leave a message in our background!

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