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Proactive Inspections – How CICNDT Is Changing Blade Inspections

Wind turbine operators are entering a critical new era: longer turbine lifespans, aging assets, and tighter repowering timelines driven by policy shifts like the Inflation Reduction Act. In this evolving landscape, blade reliability is paramount — and Jeremy Heinks, founder of CICNDT, is on a mission to change how the industry approaches it.

In a recent episode of the Uptime podcast, Heinks spoke candidly about the current gaps in non-destructive testing (NDT) in the wind sector and how CICNDT is addressing them.

What Operators Are Finding – and Missing

Operators who have used CICNDT’s services are starting to understand the power of pre-installation blade inspections. One customer who brought in CICNDT for a sample check of brand-new blades discovered unexpected problems: “The sample showed that they have an issue with these brand-new blades,” he said.

Unfortunately, with the push to deploy stored or newly manufactured blades more than ever, quality issues remain a concern. Heinks and the CICNDT team have noticed an uptick in problems in recent months.

“The quality is definitely down,” he said.

NDT at this stage is not just convenient, it can catch issues before they turn into costly downtime.

When blade inspections show damage that occurred in the factory due to manufacturing issues, or in transport, it’s bad news, but good timing. The best time to fix the blade (and address warranty issues) is prior to installation.

“It is much easier for us to get the technology and the personnel to a blade that’s on the ground, ” Heinks said. “It’s cheaper, it’s quicker… It always comes down to access.”

Legacy Blades, Mystery History

The concern about hidden problems extends to stored blades, many of which have unknown histories. In one case, blades had been stored in a location that had flooded years prior.

“We get out there, we’re scanning laminates… and it just [gave] terrible signal,” Heinks said. Only after researching the site’s history did they learn about the submersion event. “Those are things you’ve got to look at, too.”

Even weather events like high winds can compromise blades on the ground: “They’ll start fluttering in ways they’re not designed to,” Heinks said. “NDT is the only way you’re going to figure out if something is really wrong with them.”

A Modern Toolbox for Deep Inspection

CICNDT’s new lab in Ogden, Utah is outfitted with high-end inspection capabilities rarely seen in the wind industry, yet those tools are commonly used in aviation and defense. The company’s mission is to deliver focused, practical, robust Non-destructive Testing Solutions that address the needs of clients in Aerospace, including the Space Industry, and Renewable Energy.

“We’ve got… robotic CT, laser ultrasound, thermography,” he said, explaining that those technologies allow 3D inspection of components without destruction. “We can scan it and get a 3D image… without having to (enlarge or) damage the defect,” Heinks said.

The approach gives operators unprecedented clarity about issues like bonding flaws, root defects, or main spar cracks, especially in carbon fiber designs.

Blade Bolts: A Hidden Failure Point

Cracked blade bolts is another emerging issue that Heinks noted, and it’s another that CICNDT is well-equipped to address.

“We can definitely do a UT (ultrasonic) blade inspection… Whether it’s installed or not installed on the bolts,” Heinks said. He also mentioned development of a bolt monitoring system using sensors to track fatigue over time.

Critically, this type of proactive check could be performed quickly onsite.

Practical Inspection Strategies, Cost-effective Maintenance

One recurring theme in the interview was the need for practical expertise, and not just using technology for its own sake. “A lot of really cool robotics [are] coming out… [but] they don’t have the experience needed… and therefore, they can miss the mark,” Heinks said.

The goal should be “a practical approach to the inspection with automation.”

CICNDT also offers to train operators to perform “operator-level inspections” so issues can be flagged quickly before calling in a Level II or III technician.

Future-Proofing Wind Assets

With the U.S. wind fleet aging and uncertain repowering timelines, proactive inspections are more important than ever.

“We have a throwaway attitude when it comes to blades,” Heinks said, “but inspection and preventive maintenance is the way to go.”

He pointed to the example of wind farms in Australia and on remote islands, where turbines are expected to run for 30 years or more.

The key to longevity, according to Heinks? It’s plain common sense.

“Budget for more inspection on these things that we know will go bad over time.”

Heinks added that after repairs are made is also an important, and often-overlooked, line-item.

“Post inspection on repairs is always a good idea… It’s commonplace in aviation.”

The Bottom Line: NDT = More Uptime

Wind turbine operations managers should rethink inspection practices before damage becomes downtime. With tools like robotic CT, laser ultrasound, and ultrasonic bolt testing, CICNDT brings aviation-grade diagnostics to wind, and offers a path to asset longevity.

“Sometimes (operators) have had turbines offline for weeks, if not months, because they have an issue they don’t know they can do anything about,” Heinks said. NDT can ‘see’ the problem so a fix can be made – and the equipment can get back in service.

More Uptime is always the goal!

To reach CICNDT:

Call (801) 436-6512 or email info@cicndt.com

Connect on LinkedIn

Web: https://www.cicndt.com/

Listen to the interview Apple Podcasts or on Spotify

Proactive Inspections - How CICNDT Is Changing Blade Inspections

https://weatherguardwind.com/inspections-cicndt/

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Renewable Energy

As Europe Shuns Chinese Turbines and Components, Who Will Fill the Gap?

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As Europe Shuns Chinese Turbines and Components, Who Will Fill the Gap?

While most of Europe has spent most of this year itemizing reasons it cannot, should not, and will not use Chinese wind turbines or components, accusations and arm-twisting tactics have garnered most of the attention.

But we invite you to consider a future – maybe just five, or ten years from now?- in which those same countries and companies are eagerly awaiting orders from wind turbine manufacturing facilities in… India.
What?!
You know that the country has a lot of installed wind.

You may think – and many in the industry would agree – that India’s blade manufacturers are a few revs behind blade-makers elsewhere in the world. But the country is newly committed to manufacturing and it’s busy installing more – provided that it’s made in India, with Indian technology, by Indian workers.
Of course, similar domestic-focused policy currents are running through European countries – where wind OEMs are almost inarguably a decade ahead of Indian manufacturers. But there’s an important reason why we say, “watch India” in wind turbine manufacturing.

It’s because you might learn something.

If you follow The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast, you probably heard this discussion a few weeks ago. It wasn’t the headline story – we try to highlight as many major news items and trends that we can, and follow up as credible information becomes available. India’s quiet moves to strengthen its own renewable energy industries didn’t grab the headlines. But it comprised a good bit of our panelists’ discussion.

With India’s expanding manufacturing capacity, and Suzlon’s strategic offerings for the European market (Blue Sky), there are reasons for European developers to take a closer look at Indian manufacturers.

If Europe continues to squelch deals with Chinese manufacturers due to data security issues, India is a relatively obvious candidate to fill the void, for several reasons:

  • The country has depth and breadth in R&D: India (Suzlon, specifically) has a track record of involvement and relationships across the continent, as it operates research and development centers in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
  • Indian service providers have reach: Inox and Adoni Wind operate multiple wind turbine manufacturing plants and wind farms throughout several Indian states, and Apraava Energy has been commissioning wind projects, working with multiple OEMs, for more than 16 years.
  • The country’s energy sector has size: Tata Power is estimated to be worth about US$16 billion and employs 22,000 people.

And major manufacturers from other countries have had a strong presence in the country for years:

  • GE Vernova has turbine blade and nacelle manufacturing operations and multiple tech/R&D centers in India;
  • Vestas has a R&D technology center in Chennai; and
  • China’s SANY Wind has had assembly facilities in India since 2017, and in 2024, it signed a licensing agreement with JSW allowing SANY to manufacture blades and generators for JSW – enabling JSW Neo Energy to produce wind turbine generators and major components in-country.

So while there is hard data suggesting that India is already a global hub for wind turbines, sometimes the real strength comes from soft skills. Like sharing information.

We’ve noticed that Indian manufactures aren’t stingy with information. They share what they learn in the field and on the shop floor, so that the whole industry can move faster to solve problems. That bodes well for the industry overall, and particularly well for companies who figure out how to solve problems that some manufacturers aren’t even ready to admit to having.

We’ll be watching India with a great deal of interest in the coming months. Subscribe to The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast and follow along with us.

We’re not financial analysts. We’re engineers who watch the wind industry very closely. This is what we’ve noticed, and we thought it was worth sharing.

Where do you think you’ll be looking for solutions, components, and service providers in the next few years or the next decade? Tell us what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

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As Europe Shuns Chinese Turbines and Components, Who Will Fill the Gap?

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Renewable Energy

When You Write for Idiots, You Can Get Away with Anything

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To the author of the meme here:

“Either” refers to two choices; “any” refers to three or more.

More importantly, it’s amazing how shamelessly the ultra-right wing exaggerates.  The left side of the Democratic party would like to see the United States look like social democracies in places like Scandinavia.  Having government programs that benefit the common person, e.g., Social Security, public schools, emergency relief, libraries, environmental responsibility, etc., does not equate to Stalinism.

When You Write for Idiots, You Can Get Away with Anything

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Renewable Energy

Are Muslims “Dangerous?”

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Some of my old prep school chums from the Class of 1973 convene via Zoom approximately every six weeks for a 90-minute discussion of current events, science, and anything else that sounds interesting.

Our professions range from medicine, law, finance, and business management. All from highly ranked colleges.  Over 50% hold doctorate degrees.

Here’s something I find fascinating about the group: it includes one right-wing conservative.  I don’t mean a Reaganite; I mean a Trump supporter.  This guy is incapable of any thought that doesn’t come directly from Nexsmax.

It’s almost eerie how closely he toes the line of the far-right.  Yesterday he echoed the Newsmax talking point and told the group that all Muslims holding public office are “very dangerous” and should be removed.

Now, the rest of us are sitting there, dumbfounded at this idea, unwilling waste our breath on this racist and utterly preposterous concept.

All this raises the question: How are our political viewpoints formed?  How much of this is genetics?  Epigenetics?  Early childhood experiences? How do take a boy from among the best environments and turn him into someone who struggles to understand the most basic principles on which our country was founded?

https://www.2greenenergy.com/2026/11/09/principles-country-was-founded/

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