Wind turbine condition assessment based on changes observed in its power curve

Abstract

The net worth of a wind farm is the revenue from produced electricity minus the operation and maintenance costs. Therefore, it is important to monitor the performance of the wind turbines in order to minimize the costs and maximize their cost-effectiveness. Wind speed-power curves can be used to determine the performance of individual wind turbines. This paper describes a method for obtaining a performance indicator able to monitor the overall performance behavior of a wind turbine and its main features. This will allow for discovering abnormal performance due to possible degradation of some function of the wind turbine.