The present disclosure relates to measurement of blade load response in offshore wind turbines and use of the measured blade load response data by wind turbine operators.Wind energy production is rapidly increasing to help satisfy growing global energy demands. In a push to increase wind energy production efficiency and reduce costs, turbines are becoming larger with rotor diameters ever increasing. High reliability and low maintenance are critical for these large turbines; however, the resulting more complex structural loads and active control strategies affect the fatigue life of the rotor and drivetrain components. At the same time, in the development of larger turbines, which yield higher capacity factors and reduce the number of operations, major manufacturers continue to utilise the adaptability of bearing technology, particularly rolling element bearing technology, to rotatably connect the load-carrying structural members using large-diameter bearings with relatively small sections. As the replacement of highly integrated bearings is difficult and expensive, reliability targets should preferably be adjusted accordingly. With the rapidly increasing interest in life extension of wind farms, being able to estimate the remaining useful life of bearings is highly beneficial.
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