Turbine Upgrade: an efficient way to increase the AEP but is it worth the investment?
Several turbine parameters can be adjusted during an upgrade, potentially enhancing the Power Curve across various zones, from the cut-in wind speed to the nominal power.
In the fast-evolving wind industry with an increasing installed capacity, wind farm operators are continuously seeking ways to increase energy yield and maximize returns on their already operating wind assets.
There are two primary approaches to achieve this:
Ensuring wind turbines operate at their full potential by identifying and correcting any operational issues that may impact the annual energy production (AEP) ;
Modifying turbine operation to enhance their reference performance, surpassing the original 100% baseline.
While we will detail our strategy for addressing approach 1 in an upcoming article on wind farm operational due diligence, this article will focus on approach 2. Having that in mind, one increasingly popular option to make turbines surpass their original baseline is turbine upgrades, a cost-effective solution for increasing the AEP.
Illustration of a turbine upgrade through increased yaw controller reactivity. The image shows how higher reactivity reduces dynamic yaw misalignment, improving turbine performance. This approach, however, can lead to more frequent yaw movements and activations, which may impact the lifespan of the yaw motors.
Turbine upgrades can either be software based (deploying a more “aggressive” turbine control for higher production under the same wind conditions) or hardware retrofits (adding, for example, vortex generators on the blades to improve their aerodynamic efficiency). In both cases, the upgrade will change the turbines operation and two common questions arise: What is the precise impact on the wind turbine’s AEP? Are there any drawbacks to having turbines operate beyond their standard operating conditions?
We at ExpertWind tackle these two questions separately: for the impact on the AEP we apply our in-house technology for Performance quantification (explained on our Performance Article) both before and after the upgrade to accurately assess the gain in performance. Our technology is able to normalise performance even if a change in the measurements or the wind speed is created by the upgrade. By combining the normalised results from multiple complementary methods, we are able to provide a reliable, precise and independent estimation of the impact of the upgrade on the turbine’s AEP.
Illustration of a turbine upgrade through a higher rotor speed at certain wind speeds. While higher rotor speeds increase power output, they may also elevate vibration levels and potentially cause frequency coupling phenomena with the turbine tower.
Our Turbine Operation analysis is then used to detect any change in the turbine control. By automatically comparing the control parameters (yaw, pitch and rotor speed) both before and after the upgrade, we are able to understand what was modified and assess its impact on the turbine operation: increased number of yaw activations from a more aggressive yaw strategy, higher vibration from higher rotor speeds, increased number of turbine stops or specific events, etc.
Our approach aims to deliver a comprehensive and independent analysis of the turbine upgrade for the wind farm operator: using only existing data, the solution is easy to deploy and cost-effective. We assess not only the actual gains in energy yield but also identify potential drawbacks impacting turbine availability and lifespan.
Are you looking to gain a deeper understanding of turbine upgrades you've implemented in the past or are considering for the future? Contact Us to learn more about our technology and discover how it can enhance the performance of your wind farms