Leading edge protection of your wind turbine blades will reduce your operating costs, improve the levelized cost of energy (LCoE), and significantly enhance your blade performance. Top that with a solution that is designed to protect for a lifetime, and you get ELLE™-Everlasting Leading Edge.
When leading edge erosion takes over
As rotor blades get longer, the tip speed of the blades becomes faster. And with wind turbines being erected in ever-tougher and increasingly remote locations — including offshore sites — this only makes leading edge erosion more of a problem. A forecast by the energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie projects that, by the end of the decade, the money spent repairing leading edges will surpass one billion dollars per year.
What our customers say
Let’s put an end to leading edge erosion
With such dire prospects, we decided it was time to reinvent and put an end to leading edge erosion. In 2016 — following intense product development and thorough field and lab tests — we were able to unveil a brand-new type of protection: ELLE™ – Everlasting Leading Edge.
As the name suggests, ELLE™ was built to last the lifetime of your turbine. ELLE™ will save you repair and replacement costs, and improve your energy production costs by preventing damages at all scales that would otherwise lead to poorer aerodynamic performance and structural instability.
ELLE™ in action
The ELLE™ solution consists of pre-cast sections made of robust yet soft and flexible polyurethane shells. The shell’s surface is designed and dimensioned to absorb the kinetic energy from rain, hail, and airborne particles. As such, the shell provides optimal protection for the rigid fiberglass surface of the blade. The shell pattern is custom-made for each individual blade to ensure an optimal fit. When it comes to lasting leading edge protection, nobody does it better than ELLE™.
Your added value at a glance
You want to find out more about leading edge protection for wind turbine rotor blades? Then take a look at our Virtual Expo or contact us!
Click here to get a site-specific forecast for leading edge erosion and potential savings for your turbines.
