Power Curve Measurements and Power Performance Verification

Accredited as acknowledged testing laboratory following ISO / IEC 17025:2005 for power performance measurements and power curve verifications conform to ISO / IEC 61400-12-1, MEASNET and FGW standards

Profitable wind resource is available but where remains the prognosticated power generation?

A Power Curve describes the power output generated by a wind turbine as function of the wind speed that the wind turbine is experiencing at hub height. 

Both, the wind turbine manufacturers offering a product to potential clients or developing a new product prototype, in the same way as their clients, developing a wind farm project and trusting on a profitable power output of the wind turbines, have an uttermost interest to ensure that the considered power curve is met during operation and under real conditions, and that this power curve is maintained for a guaranteed period at least.

Power performance measurement and power curve certification are the appropriate means to prove this

To verify the power curve, we perform an accredited service and measure power performance according to internationally accepted norms and standards as:

• IEC 61400-12-1
• IEC 61400-12-2 
• IEC 61400-1 
• FGW Part 2 Rev. 16
• MEASNET Power Performance Measurement Procedure V.5.  

We perform power performance and wind measurements for hub heights of up to 160m by aid of measurement masts and we do perform higher measurements by aid of LIDAR remote sensing devices and techniques.

Power performance: a matter of sales contracts, advertising brochures and project cash flow expectations

Also banks and investors, having an interest in the success of a financed project, may prompt for power curve verification. Typical need for a power curve measurement and verification exists especially if:

• a wind turbine, or even worse the entire wind farm, on average is not yielding the P50 expectation value referring to the annual energy yield production prognosticated. If in such case neither analyses of operational data nor due diligence of the on-site available wind resource potential could explain the underperformance: power performance measurement and power curve verification are the next recommended activities to be performed. 
• after the 2 year warranty period provided by the turbine manufacturer, responsibility and all technical risks are fully transferred to their actual client. Just before that moment the client (or investors) may want to have certainty that the wind turbines still are as good and as powerful as they were promoted during sales negotiations and as highlighted in brochures, but especially as agreed on in the sales contracts.
• any shareholder wants to have full certainty and guarantee that the product he bought really meets the expectations and promises negotiated and agreed upon within the sales contracts and performance guarantee conditions. 
• a new wind turbine type or prototype is developed and tested prior or at market entry.

An appropriate wind turbine sales contract considers good performance guarantee and warranty conditions in case of wind turbine under-performance

In the end: if a wind turbine does not yield the praised power performance, compensation measures may be negotiated in accordance to the losses made based on wind turbine underperformance.

We do offer assistance during contract negotiations for wind turbines purchase, ensuring good warranty conditions (e.g. high wind turbine availability and energy yields) and appropriate guarantee conditions (e.g. financial compensations in case wind turbines fall behind any expectations) at a reasonable price.

Moreover we do perform acknowledged analyses and accepted calculations in order to determine the magnitude of financial loss as consequence of wind turbine under-performance.

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