Power Performance Testing Activities in the DOE-EPRI Turbine Verification Program

• Main Authors: VandenBosche, J., McCoy, T., Rhoads, H., McNiff, B., Smith, B.
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: 17 WIND ENERGY; WIND TURBINES; PERFORMANCE TESTING; FIELD TESTS; POWER RANGE 100-1000 KW; POWER RANGE 10-100 KW; POWER RANGE 01-10 MW; STANDARDS; Arctic; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/763422; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/763422

As part of the US Department of Energy/Electric Power Research Institute (DOE-EPRI) Wind Turbine Verification Program, Global Energy Concepts (GEC) is engaged in planning and conducting power performance tests for wind turbines in Searsburg, Vermont; Glenmore, Wisconsin; Algona, Iowa; Springview, Nebraska; Kotzebue, Alaska; and Big Spring, Texas. The turbines under investigation include a 550-kW Zond Z-40 FS, a 600-kW Tacke 600e, two 750-kW Zond Z-50s, a 66-kW AOC 15/50, a 660-kW Vestas V-47, and a 1.65-MW Vestas V-66. The testing is performed in a variety of terrain types, including mountains, plains, deserts, and coastal tundra; and under a wide range of atmospheric conditions from arid to arctic. Because one goal of this testing program is to gain experience with the new International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-12 standard, all of the measurements are being performed in accordance with this new standard. This paper presents the status of the power performance testing at each site, the methodologies employed, test results available, and lessons learned from the application of the IEC standard. Any sources of uncertainty are discussed, and attention is given to the relative importance of each aspect of the IEC standard in terms of its contribution to the overall measurement uncertainty.