2006 Performance of the Wind Turbine at Dundalk Institute of Technology L. Staudt, Centre for Renewable Energy at Dundalk IT
The Dundalk Wind Turbine - Overview This is a landmark project for Ireland The first urban turbine in Ireland The first large turbine in Ireland to be an autoproducer (electricity used locally) The first large commercial wind turbine on a college campus in the world A feature of the Dundalk Energy Zone
The Dundalk Wind Turbine - Overview
The Dundalk Wind Turbine - Overview Feasibility work resulting in SEI grant 2002 Full planning permission granted 2003 Finance secured, bids solicited and contract awarded to Vestas 2004 Civil works April/May 2005 Turbine installation August 2005 Turbine operation October 2005
2 May
13 May
17 May
August 24
The Dundalk Wind Turbine - Overview Vestas V52-850kW, initially limited to 700kW peak output Total cost: 1,127,000 (w/13.5% VAT) average power output of 23.3% of maximum power 163 kilowatts It appears the project will pay for itself in less than 7 years
The Dundalk Wind Turbine - Overview We offset the purchase of power at the retail rate DkIT 10kV Electrical Compound Power to various college buildings Circuit breakers metering Power to and from ESB grid
The Dundalk Wind Turbine - Overview As an autoproducer and a research project, we are allowed to export up to 500kW without being part of the Group Connection Process, as allowed for in the GCP rules This export limit means that in 2006 we had to limit the turbine output to 700kW, losing ~7% of our production vs. operating at the full 850kW Although the WTG availability was 97.4%, the overall availability was ~95% due to G10 panel problems
2006 Performance wind resource We only measure wind speed and direction on the wind turbine nacelle Original feasibility work was carried out on the basis of the Irish Wind Atlas, which suggested that in an average wind year we would see ~6.4m/s at hub height The turbine wind sensor measured ~5.4m/s Wind distribution and wind rose were typical of many Irish sites
2006 Performance wind resource
2006 Performance wind resource
2006 Performance WTG power
2006 Performance WTG energy (Total 2006 production 1,435 MWh)
2006 Performance WTG energy We predicted an annual energy output of 2.1 million kwh during an average wind year, based on 6.4m/s winds and 100% availability By back-calculating using actual production (1.43 million kwh), the published power curve, and total availability figures, we estimate that the average 2006 winds were 5.6m/s at hub height (5.4m/s measured at nacelle)
2006 Performance DkIT energy We can only estimate our actual kwh consumption for 2006 We know how much the wind turbine produced (from the wind turbine SCADA system) We know our imports from ESB (from the MRSO), which is what appears on our bill We can only estimate our exports for 2006 WTG DkIT electrical compound DkIT import export ESB
2006 Performance DkIT energy Our model suggests that we exported ~30% of the energy produced by the wind turbine (435MWh) Therefore the total DkIT consumption was the remainder of the wind turbine production plus the imports from ESB, which totals about 3GWh We took a DkIT load profile from a previous year (when there was no wind turbine), scaled it to 3GWh, and entered it into our economic model WTG DkIT electrical compound DkIT import export ESB
2006 financial performance So for 2006 we can only estimate what our bill would have been without the wind turbine, and hence our savings thanks to the wind turbine We entered the estimated half-hourly consumption and the actual WTG half-hourly production into our economic model in order to estimate annual savings
2006 financial performance Our economic model consists of two modules: 1. The first module takes as its input actual halfhourly WTG production data for 2006 plus scaled half-hourly DkIT consumption data, and calculates half-hourly electricity imported and exported for 2006 2. The second module takes the half-hourly data from module 1 and, using ESB price data, calculates savings from the wind turbine
2006 financial performance On this basis, we estimate our electricity bill would have been 366,844 in 2006 without the wind turbine, but in fact it was 237,159, therefore our savings were 119,685 (original 2004 predicted savings: 126k) We exported ~435MWh of electricity, for which we received no credit in 2006 Had we received 0.06/kWh, then this would have provided an additional 26,112 of benefit
Financial performance 2006 2007 2008 WTG MWh 1,435 2,000 2,000 ESB prices 100% 115% 115% DkIT MWh 3,000 3,500 4,500 Bill w/o WTG 367k 496k 643k Bill w/wtg 237k 338k 472k O&M 10k 15k 15k Export credit 0k 36k 27k Net benefit 120k 179k 183k *exact values in large print
Estimated future financial performance In June 2007 the turbine peak output was increased to the full 850kW If the wind turbine actually achieves 183k net benefit moving forward, it will pay for itself in 6.5 years (no grant) This improves as electricity prices continue to rise and if value is finally given for being CO 2 emission-free (ROCs or similar)
Conclusion The Dundalk IT wind turbine performed well during 2006 its first full year of operation The financial performance was not as good as hoped, due to low winds and the inability to get credit for exported electricity, however the net benefit was as originally expected Moving forward, we expect production to be higher, electricity prices to be higher, and to get credit for exports, resulting in substantial savings
Thank you for your attention! larry.staudt@dkit.ie, 042 937 0574