New joint project aims to optimize wind farm operations

DNV GL announced its latest Joint Industry Project (JIP), aiming to optimize the performance of wind farms by reducing the downtime and lower the costs of energy during the operational project life span of 25 years or more.

Wind farm owners are faced with many challenges to increase availability and performance of wind turbines while driving down the costs. When every megawatt counts, there is zero tolerance of any unexplained or unplanned underperformance.

Although turbines see current performance assumptions of 97% onshore and 94% offshore, there is still room for improvement by a well-managed operations and maintenance strategy, according to Kim Moerk, Executive Vice President Renewables Certification at DNV GL.

In collaboration with several wind energy stakeholders, DNV GL will develop a recommended practice which will describe best methods for wind farm operations. Operational configuration and technical management will be addressed to define the optimal operational setup, the company informed.

During the project, the partners will determine the average way of today’s various wind farm operations and identify the strategy to achieve optimum operations for individual wind farms. The planning, implementation and operational phases will be considered together and examined in a detailed manner. The identification of the wind farm operational configuration, plant management and on-site validation are key topics to be elaborated by the partners of this JIP.

“We are inviting all interested partners to work with us on capping costs and achieving best balance of capital expenditures and operational expenditures of wind farms,” says Fabio Pollicino, Vice President and Service Line Leader for Project Certification at DNV GL. “Only by joining forces and industry collaboration we can build this recommended practice to define an independent defined baseline for operators. It will provide guidance to enhance the wind farm performance of wind farms worldwide and further grow the wind industry.”

DNV GL calls companies interested in joining the JIP to contact Fabio Pollicino, Service Line Leader Project Certification.