Evidence on Wind Farm Performance Decline in the UK
File(s)
Submitted version
Author(s)
Green, RJ
Staffell, I
Type
Report
Abstract
Onshore wind farms in the UK have aged at about the same rate as other kinds of
power station. The average wind farm has an annual load factor of about 28% when
first commissioned, which declines by about 0.4 percentage points per year. After 15
years, the load factor would have fallen to 23%. This ageing does not appear to have
made developers replace their farms early. Forty out of the first forty-five wind
farms commissioned in the UK were still operating at this age; four had been
repowered. Taking this deterioration into account raises the levelised cost of
electricity by around 9% over a 24-year lifespan, discounting at 10 per cent a year.
This is a summary of the peer-reviewed paper “How does wind farm performance
decline with age?” published in Renewable Energy, vol. 65, pp 775-786, which is
available to download from http://tinyurl.com/wind-decline.
power station. The average wind farm has an annual load factor of about 28% when
first commissioned, which declines by about 0.4 percentage points per year. After 15
years, the load factor would have fallen to 23%. This ageing does not appear to have
made developers replace their farms early. Forty out of the first forty-five wind
farms commissioned in the UK were still operating at this age; four had been
repowered. Taking this deterioration into account raises the levelised cost of
electricity by around 9% over a 24-year lifespan, discounting at 10 per cent a year.
This is a summary of the peer-reviewed paper “How does wind farm performance
decline with age?” published in Renewable Energy, vol. 65, pp 775-786, which is
available to download from http://tinyurl.com/wind-decline.
Date Issued
2015-02-05
Citation
Evidence on Wind Farm Performance Decline in the UK, 2015
Journal / Book Title
Evidence on Wind Farm Performance Decline in the UK
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Parliamentary Copyright. This paper was prepared for the House of Lords Select Committee.
Description
09.04.15. KB ok to add to spiral. committee guide states the author can re-publish paper http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/have-your-say/take-part-in-committee-inquiries/lords-witness-guide/
Identifier
http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/science-and-technology-lords-committee/the-resilience-of-electricity-infrastructure/written/17905.pdf
Notes
Evidence submitted to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee inquiry into the Resilience of Electricity Infrastructure; currently published on line but will probably be in the report