Iberdrola España brings the most innovative wind energy generation technologies to Wind Europe Bilbao

• Mario Ruiz-Tagle, CEO of Iberdrola España, attended the inauguration of the Basque company's stand at Wind Europe 2024, the largest wind power industry event in Europe, currently held in Bilbao.

• The Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, visited the company's stand.

• Iberdrola España exhibited the latest technological advances, including 'Colibrí', a revolutionary drone developed by the Salamanca-based technology company Arbórea Intellbird, enabling blades to be checked during automated flight, with no need to stop the wind turbines.

From 20 to 22 March, Bilbao will once again host Wind Europe: the largest event in the wind energy sector in Europe. The Bilbao Exhibition Centre will be the main stage for the most revolutionary technological and innovative solutions for onshore and offshore wind farms.

Iberdrola España, Wind Europe’s official sponsor, is once again bringing a new edition to Bizkaia, following the success of 2022.  This fair is the world's most important meeting point for all technological solutions and the most advanced in the wind renewable energy sector.

The opening ceremony today was attended by the CEO of Iberdrola España, Mario Ruiz-Tagle, and was visited by the Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu. At the stand of the Basque company, which has been committed to decarbonization and renewable energies for two decades to promote the energy transition, they were able to learn about the most innovative wind energy technologies promoted by Iberdrola España.

Together with Arbórea Intellbird, Iberdrola España, the subholding of the Iberdrola Group in Spain, shared its progress in the inspection of wind turbines in motion by the small and revolutionary Colibrí drone, created by this technology company from Salamanca, enabling blade checking during automated flight, with no need to stop the wind turbines. The new platform is capable of sending high-resolution data and images directly to Arbórea's computer systems, from any wind farm in the world, via satellite network.  

The new process offers significant advantages: On the one hand, it is the fastest inspection system currently available, as it takes less than ten minutes to scan a wind turbine in operation. This avoids the stresses to which the blades are subjected during shutdown processes and eliminates the associated times. On the other hand, the digital information obtained is integrated into Arbórea's systems to generate a new, updated layer of the blade's digital twin, which is stored in the data cloud. This makes it possible to analyze its evolution and risks in a predictive manner, using procedures patented by the company, which integrate artificial intelligence processes. In this way, problems are detected early, achieving improved efficiency and cost reduction.

The new process offers significant advantages: on the one hand, it is the fastest inspection system currently available, as a running wind turbine is scanned in less than ten minutes. This avoids the stresses to which the blades are subjected during shutdown processes, and eliminates the associated times. On the other hand, the digital information obtained is integrated into Arbórea's systems to generate a new, updated layer of the blade's digital twin, which is stored in the data cloud. This makes it possible to analyse its evolution and risks in a predictive manner, using procedures patented by the company, integrating AI processes. In this way, problems are detected at an early stage, leading to improved efficiency and cost reductions.

Iberdrola España's Sierra de Dueña wind farm in Las Veguillas, Salamanca, hosted the first tests of the revolutionary Colibrí programme.

Twelve years ago, Arbórea and Iberdrola España began testing Aracnocóptero, the first drone capable of generating a digital wind turbine blades’ digital twin, in the windmills that crown the escarpments of this beautiful spot in the Salamanca dehesa. Subsequently, in 2015, these same machines were used to test Arbórea's technology aimed at incorporating a digital model of the blades’ internal structure. This process, now implemented, revolutionised wind inspection procedures. 

Today, this magical enclave, full of biodiversity, is once again the setting for the testing of disruptive technology. This aircraft is the result of 15 years of continuous technological evolution, driven by the company since the flight of its first Arachnocopter in 2009. 

The wind power sector is also a fundamental pillar of the energy transition and is key to meeting the PNIEC targets of 42% of energy consumption coming from renewables by 2030. In Spain, with more than 1,260 wind farms and some 250 industrial centers, the sector employs more than 27,600 professionals, contributing 3,106.4 million euros to the country's GDP.

Find out more about the Iberdrola Group's participation in Wind Europe 2024.

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