WIND POWER:THE WORLD'S biggest manufacturer of wind turbines has developed a spider-like crane that will slash maintenance costs by 75 per cent.

The device, pioneered by Danish firm Vestas, clamps directly to the tower part of its 3MW turbines, thus eliminating the need for the use of large numbers of maintenance vehicles and conventional cranes in the replacement of bigger components such as blades.

Vestas is already using the crane at its onshore wind farms, and is planning to test its suitability for offshore use, where maintenance costs are even higher due to the need for specially-equipped boats.

"If you consider that wind farm operators need to hire a large number of trucks and a huge crane to carry out a lot of maintenance, then this has the potential to be a lot more cost effective," a spokesman for the company said.