Consultancy Services – Wind

We take pride in tailoring our services to your specific needs.

Please contact us at  consulting@emd.dk in case of questions.

The following are our key services:

Pre-Construction Analysis

Onshore and offshore wind resource assessment – we have a proven track record at various stages of the project. Through constant validation of our predictions with operational data we maintain the highest level of quality.

Our highly trained team of experienced wind analysts and environmental project engineers offer a comprehensive range of technical services to wind farm developers and investors alike. Our technical services applicable during pre-construction include:

• Finding the sweet spots: Site screening and identification, supported by mesoscale mapping
• Balancing costs with benefits: Optimised design of measurement campaigns in terms of location and IEC compliance
• Be ready for Due Diligence: Contract review of measurement campaign to ensure high up-time, quality control of documentation
• Making the most of your site: Layout design for optimised energy and minimised technical risk
• Keeping check on technical risk: Turbine sizing and selection including suitability check based on IEC 61400-1
• Getting to know your revenue: Annual Energy Production (AEP) and Revenue Assessment from preliminary to finance-grade
• Thinking of your neighbours: Environmental impact assessments

Site Suitability

The match of the wind turbine’s mechanical strength to the climatic conditions on site are key for a successful project. The risks are manifold: If the chosen WTG is not suitable to the site, this could in the end lead to severe failures before the end of its life time. On the other side, if the chosen WTG is overdesigned with respect to the site conditions, you will be penalised twofold through a high CAPEX and through a production lower than what is possible.

Decades of experience optimising the output by matching the most suitable WTG for your site and consequently lowering the LCoE, makes our consultants your preferred partner when choosing the optimal wind turbine for your site. EMD being expert, both in wind conditions and loads, gives you the safety you need for making the right decision.

We will scrutinise the suitability of the chosen WTGs and their layout through analysis of the following:

• Wind distribution across the site
• Ambient turbulence
• Vertical wind speed gradient across the rotor
• Deviation of the inflow angle from the horizontal plane
• Layout and consequently wake added turbulence

Extreme winds

Our aeroelastic model is well tested and the methodology is certified by TÜV Süd and follows IEC 61400-1, edition 2, 3, and 4.

Asset Advisory

Through our experience as Independent Advisor during financing of projects, we are aware of the requirements of investors concerning the reliability of the OPEX/CAPEX budget as well as the forecast of energy production and therefore of the project’s cash flow. We provide you with the necessary information – also beyond the project’s nominal lifetime – to take the next steps:

• Put a price tag on the wind farm: Use the increased accuracy of the expected long-term income through analysis of operational data to create transparency during asset transfers. We offer buyer’s advice or vendor’s advice during asset transfers.
• Less risk, cheaper finance: Use the reduced uncertainty of post-construction analysis in comparison to pre-construction assessments to de-risk your investment and improve your cost of capital.
• What to do? The evaluation of an asset against contractual agreements brings you into the position to act. The review of the operational key performance metrics like availability, MTBF and MTTR are basis for discrepancy investigations. The identification of the most relevant faults helps you to optimize the service strategy.
• Bring it beyond 20 years: Lifetime extension is appealing as it can increase returns on investment of existing projects, however. the decision is complex. EMD’s extensive capabilities in wind flow and aeroelastic modelling allow a cost-optimized evaluation of the site-specific remaining useful lifetime (RUL)

Risk Mitigation

The wind resource might be excellent, the technology might be sound. Still, there might be pitfalls: Our experts establish and equip you with the transparency needed for making informed decisions, during the initiation, development and construction phase:

During initiation phase

• Review of mast installation contract to ensure maximum up-time through clear responsibilities and traceable measurements
• Quality control of installation reports with respect to compliance of DD requirements

During development

• Break-down of benefits and costs of the different technologies and available options (e.g. selection of anti-icing systems)

During construction phase

• Review of potential impact of anti-icing systems on warranties and other contractual agreements
• Review of economic modelling, CAPEX and OPEX budget (as compared with the supply and operation contracts) and yield forecast

Environmental Impact Assessment

The Environmental Impact Assessment is a crucial part of obtaining planning permission. EMD is your reliable, independent partner for this sensitive part of your planning application. We provide you with technically sound methodologies, well-prepared documentation, and advice on optimal noise mode strategies. Of course, we quantify the impact on the expected yield due all forms of planning-related curtailment.

Our service covers:

• Acoustic assessment
• Shadow flicker studies
• Zones of visual impact
• Visualization (static, animated or virtual fly-throughs)

Mesoscale Mapping

Wind maps come in various degrees of precision and accuracy. The same way as your requirements vary from situation to situation, our offer for wind mapping is adjusted:

If you need a visual overview for site prospecting, we offer cost-efficient EMD-WRF mesoscale maps using ERA-5 or MERRA 2 boundary data.

If a higher precision is required, microscale effects can be introduced through down-scaling. Processing novel satellite-based map layers as input to meso- and microscale models puts EMD at the forefront of wind resource mapping; it is paying off as the bias can be reduced and the uncertainty decreases!

Even better: Geospatial correction allows to virtually eliminate the bias usually affecting wind resource maps, not by the simplistic application of a correction, but by considering the spatially-distributed added information provided by each ground station.