Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition

Wiser, Ryan; Bolinger, Mark; Hoen, Ben; Millstein, Dev; Rand, Joseph; Barbose, Galen; Darghouth, Naïm; Gorman, Will; Jeong, Seongeun; Mills, Andrew; Paulos, B.

doi:10.2172/1818277

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 1 publication

(2 reference statements)

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“…Annual average calculated capacity factors are determined using a two‐step process designed to minimize the influence of missing data 1 . The average capacity factor at each hour of the day is found for each month (i.e., 24*12 = 288 values) 2 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Site quality estimates were made while holding technology assumptions and the historical window of evaluation constant, meaning they were independent of the technology and wind speed trends. The site quality of plants built in 2015–2017 was 6% improved over the site quality of plants built in 2009–2011 1 . This implies that, given the same turbine, the average output would be 6% higher at new plant locations in the latter period compared to the former period.…”

Section: The Importance Of Plant Design and Technology Versus Wind Sp...mentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The site quality of plants built in 2015-2017 was 6% improved over the site quality of plants built in 2009-2011. 1 This implies that, given the same turbine, the average output would be 6% higher at new plant locations in the latter period compared to the former period. Site selection is a complicated process and is not independent of technology improvement: most importantly, improved technology allows for a broader set of sites to be even considered for new plant development.…”

Section: The Importance Of Plant Design and Technology Versus Wind Sp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Annual average calculated capacity factors are determined using a two-step process designed to minimize the influence of missing data. 1 The average capacity factor at each hour of the day is found for each month (i.e., 24*12 = 288 values). 2 A weighted average of these values is calculated, with weights based on each hour's fraction of total hours in the year, accounting for the differing number of days in each month and leap years.…”

Section: Calculated Capacity Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between 2010 and 2019, the average capacity factor of the full US wind fleet increased by 13%, from 0.307 to 0.347, with capacity factors from new plants averaging >0.4 in recent years 1 . This increase in capacity factor is a key driver of record‐low levelized costs of new wind (and record levels of new wind deployment).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What can surface wind observations tell us about interannual variation in wind energy output?

2022

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The past decade of wind power growth was supported by capacity factor improvements and associated cost reductions. But are higher capacity factors a technology success story or, as suggested by recent research, has the influence of technology been overstated by ignoring positive surface wind speed trends? The answer could influence estimates of wind energy's cost and even future deployment rates. We find that US surface wind speed observations imply a 2.6% improvement in capacity factors from 2010 to 2019. Yet newer vintages of wind plants have recorded capacity factors that are 25% larger than plants built close to 2010. It follows that technological factors and improved site quality, not higher wind speeds, drove most of the improvement in capacity factors. Additionally, we match hundreds of meteorological stations to nearby (<25 km) wind plants and compare annual estimated generation, based on a function of surface wind speed observations, to annual recorded generation. Researchers rely on this publicly available surface data because measurements co-located with wind plants are generally considered proprietary. Our analysis addresses a research gap: interannual variation in observed surface wind speeds is rarely compared to observed data at wind plant locations and turbine heights. We find that despite its common use for this purpose, generation estimates based on publicly available surface observational data provide a poor proxy for interannual variability in recorded wind generation. These findings suggest that caution is generally needed when researchers use surface wind speed measurements to investigate longterm wind energy trends.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Importance Of Plant Design and Technology Versus Wind Sp...mentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: The Importance Of Plant Design and Technology Versus Wind Sp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Calculated Capacity Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What can surface wind observations tell us about interannual variation in wind energy output?

2022

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Infusible Thermoplastic Composites for Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing: Fatigue Life of Thermoplastic Laminates under Ambient and Low‐Temperature Conditions

et al. 2023

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Traditionally, thermoset resins such as polyesters (PE) and epoxies are used as the polymer matrix for construction of wind turbine blades. However, concern about their end‐of‐life treatment garners interest to use thermoplastics for increased recyclability. However, the high viscosity of molten thermoplastics inhibits their use in manufacturing wind turbine blades with injection or compression molding. A recently developed, infusible, reactive thermoplastic resin overcomes this technological barrier. Toward verifying that this recyclable resin is suitable for use in wind turbine blades, a dataset of R = 0.1 and R = 10 fatigue data for glass fiber–reinforced acrylic composites is provided and equal fatigue life to industry standard epoxy and unsaturated PE resin systems is demonstrated. Specifically, R = 0.1 fatigue data for acrylic composites at room temperature and −30 °C for verification of low‐temperature performance are tabulated. To elucidate failure mechanisms, in situ mechanical testing with X‐ray computed tomography demonstrates that damage accumulation occurs by crack propagation along the fiber–matrix interface under cyclic loading. Infrared (IR) thermography predicts failure points in composites specimens with porosity defects introduced from nonideal manufacturing processes. Furthermore, these manufacturing defects are shown to compromise the fatigue life of the acrylic laminates by an order of magnitude.

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Drone‐mounted audio‐visual deterrence of bats: implications for reducing aerial wildlife mortality by wind turbines

Werber

Hareli²,

Yinon

et al. 2022

Remote Sens Ecol Conserv

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Wind energy is a major and rapidly expanding renewable energy source. Horizontal‐axis wind turbines, the main tool in this industry, induce mortality in flying animals and consequently bring about conservation concerns and regulatory restrictions. We utilized a unique combination of RADAR, LIDAR and ultrasonic acoustic recorders to test the utility of a novel technology meant to prevent wind turbine‐related mortality in bats. Our drone‐mounted deterrent device produces a pulsating combination of strong auditory and visual signals while moving through the air. LIDAR was used to assess the device's impact below its flight altitude and RADAR to assess its influence above its flight altitude. Continuous acoustic recordings from ground level to ~400 m above‐ground‐level were used to monitor bat activity in the research site. We recorded the nightly altitudinal distributions of multiple bat species throughout the experiment. Analysis revealed a significant change in activity while the deterrent was flying compared to baseline conditions. We also recorded a significant ~40% decrease below and a significant ~50% increase above the deterrent's flight altitude during its operation compared to the post‐flight control. The tested technology is independent of wind farm activities and does not require modifying wind turbine form or operation procedures. The device differs from previously proposed solutions by being dynamic – moving in the airspace and emitting constantly changing signals – thus decreasing the probability of animal habituation. Our findings suggest that the deterrent could dramatically decrease wind turbine‐related mortality by deterring bats from approaching rotor‐swept airspace. Focused implementation in conditions where bat activity and energy production are in conflict may provide a practical, cost‐effective mortality mitigation solution compared to current alternatives. Thus, our results should be considered by the wind‐turbine industry and environmental monitoring and animal conservation organizations, as well as by regulatory agencies, when pursuing alleviation of wind turbine‐related mortality.

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Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition

Cited by 19 publications

References 1 publication

What can surface wind observations tell us about interannual variation in wind energy output?

What can surface wind observations tell us about interannual variation in wind energy output?

Infusible Thermoplastic Composites for Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing: Fatigue Life of Thermoplastic Laminates under Ambient and Low‐Temperature Conditions

Drone‐mounted audio‐visual deterrence of bats: implications for reducing aerial wildlife mortality by wind turbines

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