Spring 2023 Release Notes: Find, Fix, Measure
We are excited to announce some major updates to our Find, Fix, Measure™ (FFM) product that will help simplify the workflow for our customers. These...
Wind farm operators are well aware that yaw misalignment can significantly reduce turbine power output. However, despite knowing and understanding this problem, the industry is still struggling to identify and correct this effectively. Today we will discuss the most common causes of static yaw misalignment.
Static yaw misalignment is the difference between the wind direction and the turbine’s nacelle position when the yaw error from the nacelle anemometer is 0°. In a well-tuned turbine, there is no static yaw misalignment. Unfortunately, many turbines in the field are not well-aligned and suffer from power loss and increased loads. Although this static yaw misalignment is invisible to the turbine controller, it does have an observable effect for the wind farm owner through a lower than expected AEP. For this reason, it’s a critical issue to address. Where do you begin? The first step is to understand what’s causing it.
Through our extensive work helping wind farms identify and address yaw misalignment, we have found that there is no single cause for this problem. Static yaw misalignment can arise from a variety of hardware or software issues.
Sometimes, static yaw misalignment is a result of physical issues. These may include:
If there is no physical cause for the static yaw misalignment, the source of the problem may be your software. Common software causes include:
Static yaw misalignment is an issue that affects most wind farms in some way. When you’re able to pinpoint the causes of yaw misalignment in your wind plant, you can take real, actionable steps to address the issue. In a recent engagement, WindESCo worked with UPC Renewables to identify static yaw misalignment for all turbines at their wind farm and come up with real solutions to address the problem. Download the case study to see how our partnership helped UPC Renewables see a 2% increase in AEP.
We are excited to announce some major updates to our Find, Fix, Measure™ (FFM) product that will help simplify the workflow for our customers. These...
Wind plant reliability is an essential aspect of any wind farm operation. Downtime due to equipment failure or maintenance can lead to significant...
Analytics technology developed by wind data firm provides continuous optimization of CEZ’s 600MW Fantanele-Cogealac wind farm in Romania