An Analysis of Wind Turbine Icing Losses

Operators know that icing on wind turbines continues to cause heavy losses in the wind energy industry. But just how big are those losses?

Let's look at ice's effect on a medium-size wind turbine.

The typical 4MWh turbine generates only 35% of it's full potential.

•24 hours x 365 days = 8,760 hours per year

•4MW x .35 x 8760 = 12,264 MWh/year

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Estimated Losses by Condition:

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1. LOW ICING CONDITIONS

Loss: 1-5% of annual output.

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MWh Loss:

Minimum: 12,264 x 0.01 = 123 MWh/year

Maximum:12,264 x 0.05 = 613 MWh/year

At an average sell price of 1 MWh at $50 your losses are between $6150 - $30,650

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2. MEDIUM ICING CONDITIONS

Loss: 5-15% of annual output.

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MWh Loss:

Minimum: 12,264 x 0.05 = 613 MWh/year

Maximum: 12,264 x 0.15 = 1,839 MWh/year

At an average sell price of 1 MWh at $50 your losses are between $30,650 - $91,950

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3. HIGH ICING CONDITIONS

‍Loss: 15-25% of annual output.

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MWh Loss:

Minimum:12,264 x 0.15 = 1,839 MWh/year

Maximum: 12,264 x 0.25 = 3,066 MWh/year

At an average sell price of 1 MWh at $50 your losses are between $91,950 - $153,300

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‍Phazebreak Coatings patented NEINICE coating has been shown to mitigate ice accumulation on turbine blades, improving energy output and revenue for each coated turbine. With WindEnergy Hamburg just a month away, there is no better time to contact our team for a meeting. Find us in Hall B6 at Stand 410 and connect with us through the official networking app!