Assessment of wind power station performance and reliability: Final report
The use of wind power stations to generate electricity represents a new technology for the utility industry. Little is known about long-term energy production, equipment availability, and operation and maintenance (O and M) costs. The objective of this report is to present the results of an assessment of the available field experience to date, at a number of wind turbine sites. The data reported cover 1986 and 1987 field experience, but insight from previous years' experience was utilized to draw conclusions and make recommendations regarding wind turbine reliability. Operational information was collected and assessed from fifteen commercial wind power stations. The data cover twelve different wind turbine models. Results are presented for the current experience and some projections are made for future large wind power stations. Energy production predictions for planned wind power stations are imprecise, due to the as-yet unresolved problems associated with micrositing and array effects. However, according to statistics prepared by the California Energy Commission, the commercial wind power stations in California are achieved approximately 50% of the energy production expected when the machines were installed. Although there are some exceptions (i.e, some stations are meeting projections), the energy shortfall poses a serious problem for the industry. Long-term equipment availability and O and M costs are not well established, due to insufficient historical data. The fatigue life of wind turbine structural components may be significantly shorter than expected. In cases where fatigue failures are already evident (i.e., rotor blades, gearboxes, and yaw systems), the challenge is to improve designs and upgrade quality control procedures without substantial cost increases. 15 figs., 21 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (USA); Lynette (R.) and Associates, Inc., Redmond, WA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6420295
- Report Number(s):
- EPRI-GS-6256
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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