WICE icing loss assessment
Icing can reduce onshore wind farm revenue by 10% or more. We model site conditions using our actual insights and provide you with assessments which enable you to plan for and mitigate the effects of icing to minimize losses and maximize your project’s value.
For wind farms in cold climates or at higher altitudes, icing can be a year-round factor in performance losses. Yet it is a factor that is often not given the focus it deserves. Whether you’re a wind farm developer, owner, operator or financier, you need to consider the long-term impact of icing. Correctly mitigating against icing can hugely increase the profitability of your wind project.
Site-specific climate data for state-of-the-art modelling
Our icing assessment service gives you better understanding and definition of potential icing impacts. It can help you better define the loss factors required in an energy production assessment (EPA) for a new project. You can also use it to determine if your proposed site requires an ice protection system.
We conduct site-specific studies of the icing climate at your proposed site to determine the meteorological inputs needed to understand the icing conditions. Our state-of-the art modelling tool, WICE, uses this data to estimate long-term production losses due to icing. It can also evaluate ice protection systems and their potential in reducing icing losses.
Following our study, you receive trusted third-party evidence of the impact of icing that can help get your project financed. It can also help you adjust the annual production expectations of your operating project with a number that more accurately represents the long-term impact of icing losses on your project’s performance. Depending on your preference, this could include a standalone report detailing the long-term estimated losses or a production loss estimate in an EPA.
Proven modelling, unparalleled experience
The service is based on our proven WICE modelling tool and can be adapted globally. WICE draws on our many years of cold climate experience, plus state-of-the-art modelling approaches to generate cutting edge predictions. The model has been validated using years of data from ten sites comprising over 250 operational turbines in different regions. It has since been used to analyse dozens of projects in cold climates around the world.