Energy Production Analysis Case Study Cuilliagh Mountain Wind Farm

1
Energy Production Analysis Case StudyCuilliagh
Mountain Wind Farm

• Neil Atkinson, Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd.
• New Europe, New Energy Conference, Milton Keynes,
  September 2006

2
Contents

• Who are Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd.?
• Energy Production Analysis Case Study Cuilliagh
  Mountain Wind Farm, Ireland

3
Who are Garrad Hassan?

• Industry-leading independent wind energy
  consultancy
• Established in 1984
• Approximately 180 full time staff in 14 countries
  worldwide
• Working in 5 continents
• No equity stake in wind farm or turbine

4
Garrad Hassan around the world

Glasgow
Hinnerup
Bristol
Oldenburg
Ottawa
Hilversum
Paris
Portland
Zaragoza
Imola
Barcelona
Kansas
Tokyo
Beijing
San Diego
GH Offices
Melbourne
Wellington
5
Energy production analysis case studyCuilliagh
Mountain Wind Farm, Ireland

• Description of wind farm
• Site wind monitoring
• Long-term wind analysis methodology
• Flow modelling
• Energy and wake calculation
• Uncertainty analysis
• Wind in energy out validation

6
Cuilliagh Mountain Wind Farm, Ireland

7
Site wind monitoring
8
Long-term wind analysis methodology

• Aim to correlate with long term reference station
  10 years duration ideal

Hourly/monthly/other correlation to adjust site
period to be representative of longer term period
Site Mast, 1.5 years data
Reference Mast, 10 years data
9
Correlation of wind speed at reference station
and site mast for each direction sector
10
Flow modelling
Predicted long term mean wind speed and direction
frequency distribution at turbine locations, at
hub height

• Long term mean wind speed and direction frequency
  distribution at mast

11
Flow modelling (using WAsP software)
Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program

• Software developed by Risø, Denmark
• Input site mast wind regime as frequency
  distribution
• Subtracts local obstacles, roughness and
  topography effects
• Creates generalised wind regime
• Adds roughness and topography effects for
  individual turbine site locations to produce a
  frequency distribution for each turbine site

From European Wind Atlas
12
Energy wake calculation (using GH WindFarmer
software)

• Input frequency distributions at mast and turbine
  locations, turbine power curve, terrain map.
• Calculates wake effects and annual energy
  production for each turbine.
• Take losses into account.

13
Uncertainty analysis

• Itemise and quantify initial sources of error
  within the analysis, e.g.
• - Anemometer over speeding, calibration
• - Correlation method
• - Variability in long term wind speed data
• - WAsP flow modelling
• - GH WindFarmer wake modelling
• - Other

14
Cuilliagh Mountain Wind Farm wind inenergy
out validation

• Purpose Assess accuracy of modelling techniques.
• Carried out wind speed correlation, terrain and
  wake modelling based on actual wind speed
  recorded at Malin Head Meteorological Station.
• Comparison of results with 17 months of actual
  production data from the wind farm for concurrent
  period.

15
Cuilliagh Wind Farm validation results

Overall measured energy 99.7 of expected
16
Conclusions

• Summary of steps involved in energy resource
  assessment for wind farm in Ireland.
• Similar techniques used across the world,
  including eastern european countries.
• Experience in individual geographical areas
  builds valuable knowledge of local wind climates,
  long-term meteorological data etc.
• Wind in Energy out validation of modelling
  techniques against actual production data.

17
Conclusions

• Also involved in work in new and future EU
  countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic,
  Estonia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria, Bosnia
  Herzegovina).
• Greta Energy Inc., 3 Wind Farms, Estonia, 125
  MW, 2006, feasibility studies, wind monitoring
  campaign specification, data downloading and
  quality checking.
• EETEK Rt., 2 wind farms in western Hungary 100
  MW, 2005, energy assessment.
• Eurogreen Energy, Bakony, Hungary, 108 MW, 2006,
  energy assessment.
• Polish Energy Partners S.A., Puck Wind Farm,
  Poland, 22 MW, 2006, Assistance with tender,
  energy assessment.
• Other confidential work.