INNTERESTING · Project

Virtual Testing Methods That Cut Wind Turbine Component Costs and Extend Lifetime

energyTestedTRL 5

Wind turbines have huge moving parts — bearings and gearboxes — that break down way too often and cost a fortune to fix. Right now, if you want to test a bigger or better version of these parts, you need to build an equally massive (and expensive) physical test rig. INNTERESTING figured out how to test these critical components using a mix of computer simulations and smaller-scale physical tests, so you can validate new designs without building giant test benches. Think of it like crash-testing a car in a computer game before ever bending metal — except for wind turbine gears and bearings.

By the numbers

Bearing share of total wind turbine CapEx

13%

Gearbox share of total wind turbine CapEx

22%

Blade share of total wind turbine CapEx (for context)

Consortium partners

Industry partners in consortium

Total project deliverables

Case studies conducted (bearings and gearboxes)

The business problem

What needed solving

Wind turbine bearings and gearboxes fail too often, driving up maintenance costs far beyond their initial price tag. Testing new or improved designs for these components currently requires building full-scale physical test rigs that grow more expensive as turbines get bigger. This creates a bottleneck: the industry needs larger, more reliable components but cannot afford the testing infrastructure to validate them quickly.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered virtual and hybrid testing methods for validating pitch bearings and gearboxes without full-scale physical test benches. Across 13 deliverables and 3 case studies, the team produced technical specifications for future wind turbine requirements, simulation-based validation tools, and scaled testing approaches that combine computer models with smaller physical experiments.

Audience

Who needs this

Wind turbine bearing manufacturers looking to validate new designs fasterGearbox suppliers developing components for next-generation larger turbinesWind farm operators seeking to extend component lifetime and reduce O&M costsWind turbine OEMs designing bigger turbines without proportionally bigger test facilitiesIndependent test laboratories wanting to offer virtual validation services

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Wind Turbine Component Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Bearing and gearbox manufacturers supplying the wind energy sector

If you are a bearing or gearbox manufacturer dealing with rising costs of full-scale physical testing for ever-larger wind turbines — this project developed virtual and hybrid testing methods that validate component reliability without building bigger test benches. Bearings account for 2% of CapEx but drive disproportionate OpEx due to early fatigue failures. These methods can accelerate your product development process and reduce testing costs significantly.

Wind Farm Operations & Maintenance

enterprise

Target: Wind farm operators and O&M service providers

If you are a wind farm operator struggling with high maintenance costs from bearing and gearbox failures — this project developed methods to predict and extend the lifetime of these critical components. Since gearboxes represent 13% of CapEx and bearings drive major OpEx through early failure, validated lifetime extension techniques directly reduce your cost of energy and unplanned downtime.

Wind Turbine Design & Engineering

enterprise

Target: Wind turbine OEMs and engineering consultancies

If you are a turbine designer needing to validate new component concepts for larger next-generation turbines — this project created a methodology that overcomes size-dependent issues during the design process. Instead of scaling up physical test benches for every new turbine class, you can use hybrid testing combining simulation with scaled physical tests to speed up your product development cycle.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much could this reduce our testing costs?

The project objective states the methodology will 'save time and money during the product development process' by eliminating the need to build larger physical test benches for larger components. Specific cost reduction percentages were not published in the available data, but the core value is avoiding capital expenditure on full-scale test infrastructure.

Has this been tested at industrial scale?

INNTERESTING ran 3 case studies: pitch bearings (Case Studies 1 and 3) and gearboxes (Case Study 2). The consortium included 3 industry partners out of 8 total, giving a 38% industry ratio. The methods were validated on these real component types, though full commercial deployment data is not available.

What about IP and licensing?

This was an EU-funded Research and Innovation Action (RIA), meaning results are typically co-owned by the consortium. IKERLAN S. COOP (Spain) coordinated the project. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the consortium partners. Contact the coordinator for specific IP availability.

Which specific components does this cover?

The project focused on two critical wind turbine component families: pitch bearings (which account for 2% of total CapEx but cause disproportionate OpEx) and gearboxes (which account for 13% of CapEx). Both were selected because they transfer high loads and have high failure rates.

How mature is this technology — can we use it now?

The project ran from 2020 to 2022 and is now closed, with 13 deliverables completed. The methodology combines virtual simulation with scaled physical testing (hybrid approach). As an RIA project, the results are likely at demonstration level but would need further integration into commercial product development workflows.

Does this work for offshore wind turbines too?

Based on available project data, the deliverables include 'technical, environmental and social requirements of future wind turbines' covering environmental conditions and structural integrity. While the methodology addresses size-dependent challenges relevant to larger offshore turbines, specific offshore validation would need to be confirmed with the consortium.

Consortium

Who built it

The INNTERESTING consortium brings together 8 partners from 3 countries (Belgium, Spain, Finland), with a practical mix of 3 industry players, 3 research organizations, 1 university, and 1 other entity. The 38% industry ratio signals that the methods were developed with real manufacturing and operational needs in mind, not just academic interest. The coordinator IKERLAN is a well-known Spanish cooperative research center with deep expertise in mechanical engineering and testing. Having 1 SME in the mix adds agility, while the geographic spread across Western and Northern Europe covers major wind energy markets.

IKERLAN S. COOPCoordinator · ES
VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V.participant · BE
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
CLUSTER DE ENERGIAparticipant · ES
SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE NVparticipant · BE
LAU LAGUN BEARINGS SLparticipant · ES
FLENDER FINLAND OYparticipant · FI
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

IKERLAN S. COOP is a cooperative research center based in Spain — reach out through their technology transfer office for licensing or collaboration inquiries.

Order a report on this consortium See IKERLAN S. COOP profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the INNTERESTING team to explore how their virtual testing methods could reduce your component validation costs? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction.

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