Is wind energy'reliable'?

In energy policy debates we sometimes hear the complaint that because wind energy is intermittent, it can’t be ‘reliable’. Is this a fair criticism? It all depends on your timescale. Taking a short term view, it is true that the amount of energy generated by a wind turbine on a particular day can’t be predicted far ahead with accuracy.

How reliable is a wind energy project?

Reliability is critical to the success of a wind energy project. Low levels of reliability could result in multiple breakdowns that require extensive maintenance. High levels of reliability can reduce breakdown costs and frequency but may be prohibitively costly to achieve.

Are wind turbines reliable?

It does show, however, that the wind resource is extremely reliable – guaranteed, even – on an annual basis. Follow this link to find out more about Colin’s book on wind turbines: Enjoyed reading this article?

What is wind turbine reliability data?

Wind turbine reliability data comprise the historical failures, repairs, and downtimes of a turbine and its subassemblies. A thorough understanding of WT reliability is critical to the development of effective operation and maintenance (O&M) strategies and to an improved WT and wind farm performance.

How does reliability affect a wind farm?

Additionally, WT reliability affects overall system performance and power output, 1, 2 resulting in additional costs from lost revenue. A common metric used to describe wind farm performance is the levelised cost of energy (LCOE), which is defined as the net present value of the cost to produce a unit of energy.

Can historical weather data help design reliable wind-reliant electricity systems?

We found little evidence for strong trends in wind droughts over recent decades in most places. Rather, the most severe wind droughts in many places occurred before wind power substantially penetrated power systems, which suggests that historical weather data can be useful in designing reliable wind-reliant electricity systems.