Open Access

Generation of green electricity as part of the energy transition is leading to a growing market in the wind energy sector all over the world. Maintenance and inspection are key-factor for the reliable, safe and efficient operation of wind turbines. Regular maintenance of rotor blades focuses on damage such as erosion on the leading edge of the profile, delamination and thermal cracks due to lightning strikes. To date, visual inspection by technicians (climbers) has been the state of the art. Recently, drone-based inspections using visual cameras have become more common, enabling fast, reliable and cost-effective inspections. However, no internal damage to the rotor blades are detectable during such an inspection. This deficiency is often compensated by thermography, a recognized method for detecting damages beneath the surface of an object. Thermography has been promoted and continuously developed at BAM for years. In the first part of this paper, the authors present the concept for a drone-based multisensory system that combines a thermal camera, a high-resolution visual camera and a 3D Laser scanner.The system provides a comprehensive view of the rotor blade samples internal and external conditions. In the second part of the paper, we present a lab-based demonstrator comprising an infrared camera and an RGB camera. We elaborate on the process for fusing the images comprising the calibration, image preprocessing and image registration.