WindEFCY: Traceable mechanical and electrical power measurement for efficiency determination of wind turbines

At a glance

• The technical development of wind turbines has progressed rapidly in recent years. Maintaining this tempo requires test rigs capable of performing standardized tests on the key components.
• However, there are no standards available to date for many of the validation processes, meaning that the results on different test rigs can vary.
• This is where the WindEFCY project comes into play, developing traceable methods for the reliable determination of the efficiency of key nacelle components.

The challenge

Wind energy already plays an important role in the European energy system. If the European Union’s entire energy supply is to be climate neutral in the future, rapid technical further developments of wind turbines are essential. In these development processes, standardized testing and validation processes are of key importance for quality assurance, as they replace costly field tests and render the test results on different test rigs comparable. However, there are no standardized tests available to date for the determination of the efficiency of nacelles and their components on test rigs.

The solution

This is where the WindEFCY project comes into play. The partners are developing validated methods for the reliable determination of the efficiency of key nacelle components prior to their installation in the field. One important aspect of this is the standardization of mechanical and electrical power measurement on nacelle test rigs.

To this end, the project partners will start by assessing the available methods and measurements for power and efficiency determination. In addition, the scientists will develop new guidelines for traceable measuring processes, which can be employed in the testing of the electrical power components of the generator, the mechanical shafts, and the combination and synchronization of the mechanical and electrical power measurements. The end result will be standardized guidelines for efficiency determination on test rigs.

In a subproject, Fraunhofer IWES is responsible for the implementation of the efficiency determination on nacelle test rigs.

The added value

WindEFCY will ensure essential knowledge transfer from research to industry. Wind turbine manufacturers, gearbox manufacturers, test rig and wind farm operators will benefit from the results of the project, as reproducible efficiency determination on test rigs will shorten the development cycles and time to market in the wind energy sector. In addition, the project results will allow better predictions of the energy yield of planned wind farms and thus offer increased security of investment.