Welcome to Task 19 Summary Page

Wind Energy in Cold Climates

OPERATING AGENT ORGANIZATION:
VTT, Technical Research Center of Finland

OA Representative:
Esa Peltola
P.O. Box 1601
02044 VTT
FINLAND
Tel +35 8 9 456 5790
Fax +35 8 9 456 6538
Email: Esa Peltola
Web site: http://arcticwind.vtt.fi

Wind energy is increasingly being used in cold climates, and technology has been adapted to meet these challenges. As the turbines incorporating new technology are demonstrated, the need grows for gathering experiences in a form that can be used by developers, manufacturers, consultants, and financiers. In order to supply needed information on the operation of wind turbines in cold climates, Task 19 to the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind implementing agreement was officially approved in 2001. The resulting task began in May 2001 and will continue through 2011.

It has been agreed upon that the sites involved in this task will be wind turbine sites that either have icing events or low temperatures outside the standard operational limits of wind turbines. Participants will work to achieve the following objectives.

Determine the current state of cold climate solutions for wind turbines, especially anti-icing and de-icing solutions that are available or are entering the market.

• Review current standards and recommendations from the cold climate point of view and identify possible needs for updates. Possibly recommend updates to standards that include comments from planners and operators.
• Find and recommend a method to estimate the effects of ice on production. A better method would reduce incorrect estimates and therefore the economic risks currently involved in cold climate wind energy projects. As possible, verify the method on the basis of data from national projects.
• Clarify the significance of extra loading that ice and cold climate induce on wind turbine components and disseminate the results. Perform a market survey for cold climate wind technology, including wind farms, remote grid systems, and stand-alone systems.
• Define recommended limits for the use of standard technology (site classification).
• Create and update the Task 19 state-of-the-art report and expert group study on guidelines for applying wind energy in cold climates.

The national activities of task participants are designed to provide new information on issues that are preventing cold climate development today. The results of these activities will enable improvements of the overall economy of wind energy projects and lower the risks involved in areas where low temperatures and atmospheric icing are frequent. The reduced risk would thereby reduce the cost of wind electricity produced in cold climates. For more information, please visit the Task 19 web site.