Evaluation of Wind Farm Comprising 850-kW WTG and 900-kW WTG

With many electricity markets worldwide deregulated or in the process of deregulation, the opportunity for smaller independent generators to provide power to their local electricity power system has increased. The Irish government, in coordination with the utility regulator in Belfast, Northern Ireland, regulate the energy market to incentivise private investors into the renewable energy industry. One of the policy tools used by the government discussed in this wind farm case study is the feed-in-tariffs mechanism. For smaller independent wind developers assessing the feasibility of a large-scale wind farm project is vitally important due to the significant risk associated with the investment. This paper presents a longitudinal case study of a 3.5-MW wind farm situated in the northeast of Ireland, utilising multiple sources of empirical data obtained over three years following commissioning. The onshore wind farm is comprised of two 850-kW WTG and two 900-kW WTG. The findings indicate that an average yearly capacity factor of 34% was recorded from the turbine wind farm. Results also showed that the simple payback period is 6.7 years. It would appear from this case study that site selection, electricity market conditions, the quality of the control system and the competencies of the design/installation/commissioning company all contributed to the satisfactory results.