Over 1GW of European offshore wind capacity is now using a turbine health and performance platform provided by Clir, according to the software company.
The company’s artificial intelligence platform analyses turbine health and performance data.
Clir’s 1GW milestone follows a mammoth year of offshore wind construction in 2019, with 3GW installed in Europe alone.
“To date, however, the offshore wind industry has, in some cases, struggled to meet production expectations, resulting in lowered production forecasts and a drop in developer share prices,” Clir said in a statement.
“Notable instances have demonstrated there is still insufficient understanding of the effects of offshore turbines on one another, not to mention the harsh offshore conditions on new turbine technology,” it said.
Clir chief revenue officer Craig McCall commented: “Recent investment in offshore wind shows the enormous potential this technology has to power the clean energy transition. However, the long-term impacts of Covid-19 on the development of new projects remains uncertain.”
McCall added: “While much of 2020’s offshore capacity is in the late stages of construction, it is likely that there will be a drop in the number of new projects commissioned as the restrictions put in place on travel and working practices to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus impact the global supply chain.”
The chief revenue officer said it would be more important than ever for owners to make sure operational projects are producing as much energy as possible for as long as possible to meet ongoing energy demands.
Clir supports over 6GW of assets worldwide with clients typically seeing increases of up to 5% in annual energy production in the first year.