Assessment of Wind Turbine Performance in Alpine Environments

Abstract

The performance of the wind turbine at the Guetsch Alpine Test Site, Switzerland, is analysed using 10-minute averaged data over the period of a year, following IEC 64100-12-1 recommendations. The predicted Annual Energy Production using the manufacturer's power curve is found to be 20% larger than the measured production, which represents a large investment risk. This could be minimised by applying a correction to the power curve during the project development stage. Through photographic analysis of icing events on the blades at the Guetsch Alpine Test Site, icing is found to cause only a 1.6% reduction in Annual Energy Production. Analysis shows that the energy production is 62% −180% higher than the annual average when temperatures are between −1 and −9°C, and a 50% reduction is estimated if the wind conditions remain at the 10°C levels for the entire year. This indicates the benefit of lower temperatures at this site and provides a strong argument for the further development of wind farm projects in alpine environments. A power curve correction technique for the accurate prediction of performance in alpine environments is thus being developed through controlled experiments.