IceLoss – wind turbine icing loss assessment
Securing project bankability and turbine technology choices for cold climate sites
The most accurate icing assessment tool in wind energy industry to-date
Ice formation on rotor blades influences the aerodynamic properties of the blades leading potentially to large power losses in a wind farm. Production losses of 50 % or more have been observed during winter months characterized by heavy icing. Icing can thus result in large annual production losses. To our experience in working with multiple wind farm post-construction production analysis and pre-construction energy yield assessments, icing loss are the second highest source of losses after wake losses in Nordics.
Our latest research in Finland shows that a one typical Finnish wind turbine has experienced turbine-level average annual revenue losses of 67 000 € between 2021-2023 due to icing.
Our latest IceLoss model has been validated with data from 26 operational wind farms and we have delivered more than 200 IceLoss reports wind farms in cold climates all over the world. Our state-of-the-art IceLoss method is a result of more than 15 years of active R&D effort and the model performance results have been presented at numerous internal conferences such as WinterWind, WindEurope and Wind Energy Science Conference.
Example of the three-parameter power curve
Our clients typically use our IceLoss reports for the following purposes:
- Ensuring project bankability and financing via most accurate energy yield assessment estimate of long-term expected icing losses and hourly icing losses for detailed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) analyses
- Choosing the best and most suitable Ice Protection System (anti- or de-icing system) to mitigate icing losses and getting contractual risk mitigation support
- Long-term adjustment of short-term operational SCADA data of wind farm icing losses
- Considering climate change impacts for future icing loss trends
- Considering safety aspects due to ice throw and ice fall
Please do not hesitate to contact us for more questions!
Jennie Molinder
Product Leader & Discipline Specialist
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IceLoss2.2 model validation results
| Production Data – May | Production Data – November |