The Costs of Poor Wind Measurement

Although the costs of a wind measurement campaign are quite small when compared to the overall investment needed to construct a wind farm, many developers still try to save some thousands of euros by using smaller met masts and cheap sensors. But does this strategy pay off? Or, in other words, what is gained by a high quality wind measurement? To answer these questions this article compares two scenarios. Scenario 1 has an IEC standard tower, first class sensors and measurement at hub height. Scenario 2 assumes inappropriate (cheap) sensors, bad design and measurement somewhat below hub height. All other conditions (turbine type, location, terrain, obstacles, etc.) are assumed to be exactly the same, in order to estimate the effect of the different measurement regimes. The energy yield is calculated by adding the respective uncertainties a consultant would estimate for the respective measurements, so that the two scenarios can be compared in financial terms and then be related to the cost of high quality measurement.

 

By Cornelia Haaß-Ropeter and Johannes Lange Ge:Net, and Martin Kolbe, Anemos GmbH, Germany