No Drop in Performance as Turbines Get Older

Wind Energy / Economics

Date posted: 03/08/13

An article in the autumn 2010 issue of WindStats looked at the performance of these - as well as some Swedish and British - wind farms, and found that their outputs were generally in line with expectations. However, a recent analysis by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) in the UK has suggested that the productivity of the Danish offshore wind farms has been declining significantly with age and also concludes that "few wind farms will operate for more than 12-15 years". This analysis therefore updates the earlier WindStats review and examines the basis for the claim that wind-turbine performance declines with age. An analysis of data from the Danish Energy Agency finds no evidence to support the claim of an age-related performance drop. Performance generally appears to be maintained at a consistent level, with only a slight decline with age - one in line with other types of power plants. Some turbines even delivered improved performance with increasing age.