Why on-site meteorological masts can be beneficial during the operational phase ?

On-site meteorological masts can be of huge advantage but yet, many French operational wind farms are not equipped with those instruments.

Here are a few examples of their uses:

• Production enhancement: compared with nacelle instrumentation, field masts provide reliable speed and direction data. Indeed, data provided by nacelle devices are impacted by the nacelle structure and the transfer functions provided by the turbine manufacturer fail to get rid of these obstruction effects. Mast data can be useful in this case to conduct deeper analysis (alignment of the turbine) and increase the turbines’ performance in the long run.
• P50 accuracy: data extracted will enable to adjust/update the P50 during the operational phase with more precise & accurate results
• Communication loss & downtimes: having a mast on-site will enable calculation of the production losses. In this particular case and thanks to the on-site mast, claiming compensation to the manufacturer, Enedis, or the insurance itself will be easier as the production loss calculation is more precise and accurate.
• OEM power curve guarantee: most of the turbine manufacturers include in their contracts a power curve guarantee. However, in order to claim it, a power curve test will have to be conducted in accordance with the IEC 61400 standards – which describes the condition in which the test has to be performed with a mast. Otherwise, financial compensation cannot be claimed.

However, in order for the meteorological masts to be as useful and effective as mentioned, particular attention has to be paid to its location and configuration of the wind farms. Our team of experts have the right skills to provide you with the adequate advice on how to adjust your mast and where to place it.
A meteorological mast can be financed during the construction phase if set-up from commissioning. As a consequence, Greensolver and its team strongly recommend to include in your construction budget a met. mast and to set it up as soon as the construction starts. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information!