A pioneering ‘top to toe” virtual tour of an offshore wind turbine has been completed by a specialist photography company.
The digital photo-shoot was carried out at the Greater Gabbard wind farm by CHPV Offshore Filming and Photography.
It enables workers to take a detailed tour – starting in the confined internal space just above the waterline and finishing at the very top of the nacelle – through virtual reality goggles, a PC, tablet or smartphone.
The 140-turbine wind farm off Suffolk is co- owned by Perth-based utility SSE and Innogy.
Users can find ‘walk’ through the different sections of the tower and work their way up to the top. At strategic points along the way, additional hotspots show important technical information, safety documentation or close-up details of equipment inside cabinets.
A spokesman for CHPV said: “It’s the next best thing to actually being there. Each view is made up from 54 different 36 megapixel images, which means the detail is incredible.”
“This is believed to be the first top to bottom virtual tour of its kind. Undertaking the project was no easy task. Although the photography was completed in a couple of days, it took months of planning before we could go offshore, liaising with the client and their sub-contractors.
“In order to descend to the lowest level inside the transition piece we had to undertake confined space training, and have a specialist team with us on site to vent the area, ensure it was safe and provide rescue cover in the event of an emergency.”
25 Oct 2017
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