Ecofys consultants recently initiated a study to help bring down costs for wind energy projects in the Netherlands. Results indicate that using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) can increase the value of a typical Dutch wind farm by over €1 million.
These first-time results quantify how much targeted measurement campaigns help improve the value of a wind farm. Ecofys has done this for a typical Dutch wind farm where, until today, performing measurements is still fairly rare. On an average investment of €30 million for a standard 20 MW or 8-turbine wind farm, performing proper measurements can lead to a much better financial picture for the wind-farm owner. Wind-farm developers seek reducing uncertainties in the financing of wind farm projects and aim for an optimal business case. “These methods help to better quantify the wind speeds and will therefore help wind farm developers to take the right decisions and make the right choices regarding project financing,” says Ecofys business developer Erik Holtslag.
Over the past years, the Dutch wind energy market has seen an increase in the size of wind farm projects. At the same time, the government has raised its 2020 target for the Dutch renewable energy levels and is stimulating the market to decrease the dependency on subsidies. According to the study’s data, the wind measurement system can help to secure better financing from banks, leading to a lower cost of energy. This will help the government achieve its renewable energy targets in a faster and more economical way.
LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) consists of a laser-based measurement device which makes it possible to measure wind characteristics up to 200m above ground to quickly and flexibly determine the potential of a project. The study is available for download.
Uncertainty reduction for a representative Dutch inland wind farm project: comparing different measurement strategies, source: Ecofys
Ecofys
www.ecofys.com
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