Wind Resource Assessment: USA Perspective, Trends and

Best Practices IWPC 2015

Gregory Erdmann Renewable NRG Systems

April 2, 2015

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Today’s Presentation

1. Who Is RNRG?

2. Trends in Reducing Uncertainty: Bankability.

3. Similar Challenges in USA and Turkey.

New Logo and Branding

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We help customers find, understand and make

more renewable energy.

About Renewable NRG Systems

• Pioneer: 33 years in Wind Resource Assessment

• 160+ Countries

• Supplying Turkish market for over 10 years

• Over 3500 profitable wind farms globally have been constructed on data collected from RNRG products for site assessment

Millions of data loggers, sensors and towers

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USA Market:

• Fast growth

• Large wind farms

• Entrepreneurial: Profits first!

• Many companies have own business models, measurement metrics and extrapolation models

Common Goal:

Produce “Investment Grade” Data!

Reducing Uncertainty = Creation of a successful, profitable power plant.

The USA WRA Experience: An Observation

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Investment Grade Data

A short-list of the international investment community that recognize in their project financings that NRG Systems is BANKABLE DATA.

• General shift to “Class 1” anemometry

• Increasing scrutiny of wind tunnel calibration processes and their contribution to measurement uncertainty.

• Calibration of all sensors

• Debate will continue on best method and best sensor.

Sensor Trends

SOH Wind Engineering LLC, Vermont USA Opened December 2012

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RNRG Class-1 WindSensor P2546 Thies First Class

• Growing interest in 1Hz data capture

• More channel capacity

• Two way communication

• More flexibility

• More software-oriented

• “Purpose-Built”

Data Logger Trends

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• Hub Height: No longer keeping pace with turbine hub heights (This is where Remote Sensing comes in…)

• 60 Meter towers: >75% of met towers deployed in the USA are 60m in height for practical reasons. They are practical, bankable and this will continue.

• 80 Meter towers: Sales increasing for WRA and PCV.

• Effective Practicality: Fewer 80 meters for simple terrain, more 60 meters for complex terrain.

• Ease of use: The requirement for quick to ship, easy to install, standardized towers

• Tubular towers: Tubular largely outnumber lattice towers - Different preferences for all companies.

Met Tower Trends

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Met Tower Trends

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Met Tower Trends

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Certified Engineering Calculations and Drawings are critical!

• T measurements (top and bottom) for atmospheric stability calculations.

• Redundancy: Cheap and obvious

• Vandalism: Non-climbable tubular

• Solar Resource Assessment: Dual purpose

• Bankability: Traceability across entire measurement chain

– Sensors, Loggers, installation documentation, etc.

Reducing Uncertainty: Met Tower Configuration Trends

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60 Meter Tilt up tower

• Acceptance: Industry acceptance is weighted more towards specific devices than to technologies. Specific devices can now claim to have equivalent uncertainty to industry standard anemometry in simple terrain.

• Popularity: Nearly 100% of US developers utilize RS and this will continue.

• Maturity: IEC 61400-12-1 revision to be released in late 2015(?). A strong signal towards the maturity of RS.

• Dual Purpose: Lidar can be used in resource assessment campaigns (Hub height measurement, REWS, tower campaigns, etc.) and then used for power performance studies post-construction.

Remote Sensing Trends

WINDCUBE® v2 Lidar ZephIR 300 Lidar

Triton® Sodar Galion Lidar

Common examples :

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• Wind Shear Uncertainty Reduction: Very big driver in WRA: What wind is doing throughout rotor swept area not just at hub.

• Upcoming IEC 61400-12-1 revision will include a definition for Rotor Equivalent Wind Speed (REWS), in testing a turbine power curve.

• This migrates back to the desire to measure to blade tip in wind resource assessment campaigns. RS very useful for this. Major consultants recommending REWS be reviewed and accounted for at all sites.

• Power Curves: Operational internal power curve testing to understand assets better is cheaper than putting in IEC calibrated power performance test tower.

• Return On Investment: Experienced developers investing in RS and realizing ROI on lidars is massive.

Remote Sensor Trends

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Similar Challenges in USA and Turkey

Mexico and USA have similar challenges: • Access to Sites • Security at Site • Installation Expertise (Comm. Tower Installers vs. Wind Installers) • Tight Deadlines: Now! • Safety • Data Communication (Cellular / Satellite) • Budget • Training and Support • Bankability or “Investment Grade”: The Turkish Experience • Tremendous Growth Experience

Common pitfalls that still exist unfortunately!

• Met towers and instrumentation improperly selected, sited, configured or maintained.

• Measurement period insufficient to characterize seasonal changes.

• Remote sensing devices used in ways outside of industry best practice.

• Data problems undetected during campaign through lack of QA/QC.

Met tower siting

Source: M. Elkinton, Garrad Hassan, 2009

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An Exciting Time in Turkey!

Complete 60 Meter tower and accessories on truck for delivery Lidar with integrated remote power supply

Gregory Erdmann, VP Global Sales RNRG Systems

Hinesburg, VT USA gse@rnrgsystems.com T: (802)-482-2255 x 193