Canadian outfit Clir Renewables has developed a new software to detect icing on turbine blades and measure the impact on performance.
The company said the software algorithm uses a probability analysis approach to flag deviations from historical, turbine-specific power curves, based on site-specific climatic conditions and historical icing events.
Icing events are automatically flagged to the operator as a part of Clir’s standard system. The company can also make recommendations for optimisation when the wind farm is experiencing icing, it said.
Clir Renewables data scientist Rebecka Klintstrom said: “Significant losses are often experienced at wind farms in cold climates due to the impact of icing, but it is possible to regain some of this when there is a better understanding of the situation.
“With all the information, owners have the ability to take action and improve their output. One owner saw an increase of almost 5% AEP after a manufacturer control update was implemented following assessment by Clir.
“While not all sites will see such an increase, it shows that icing is an issue that needs investigation.”