Economic Feasibility of Wind Turbine's Anti-Icing Systems Development and application of a simple heuristic method and tool

Abstract: Wind energy projects in cold climate areas are more and more favoured due to the presence of high wind potential and the availability of land in those areas. A serious problem, however, is the impact of icing on the wind turbine and on the energy production. The main objective of this Thesis is to present the available options for mitigating the risks of wind turbines’ blade icing and to evaluate the investment of the wind turbines’ anti-icing systems. To this end, a heuristic algorithmic method has been developed as well as a simple computational tool in order to assess the economic feasibility of anti-icing systems. The method has subsequently been applied in three case studies and relevant conclusions have been drawn Initially a literature review has been conducted that encompassed issues like the direct and indirect impacts of icing on wind turbines (reduced yield, increased loads and noise emission, health and safety risks, etc.), the difficulties of estimating icing formulation and icing production losses and the anti-icing and de-icing systems and their functionality, advantages and disadvantages. Subsequently, the heuristic algorithmic method has been developed which is based on estimating the energy production of a wind turbine for three scenarios - with no icing occurring, with icing but without any anti- and de-icing system installed and with an anti-icing system installed – followed by a sensitivity analysis of the economic performance parameter, the simple pay-back period. The method has been accommodated in a simple computational excel-based tool and has been applied to three case studies located in the north Norway, in central Sweden and in south Finland. The production losses related to icing are in the expected ranges typical for the geographic location and so is the economic performance parameter which indicate that the investment in an anti-icing system is recommended for the three case studies. Results showed that the wind resources, the electricity export price and the annual icing hours are the parameters that determine the feasibility of an anti-icing system for a wind farm project. Wind energy projects in cold climate areas are more and more favoured due to the presence of high wind potential and the availability of land in those areas. A serious problem, however, is the impact of icing on the wind turbine and on the energy production. The main objective of this Thesis is to present the available options for mitigating the risks of wind turbines’ blade icing and to evaluate the investment of the wind turbines’ anti-icing systems. To this end, a heuristic algorithmic method has been developed as well as a simple computational tool in order to assess the economic feasibility of anti-icing systems. The method has subsequently been applied in three case studies and relevant conclusions have been drawn Initially a literature review has been conducted that encompassed issues like the direct and indirect impacts of icing on wind turbines (reduced yield, increased loads and noise emission, health and safety risks, etc.), the difficulties of estimating icing formulation and icing production losses and the anti-icing and de-icing systems and their functionality, advantages and disadvantages. Subsequently, the heuristic algorithmic method has been developed which is based on estimating the energy production of a wind turbine for three scenarios - with no icing occurring, with icing but without any anti- and de-icing system installed and with an anti-icing system installed – followed by a sensitivity analysis of the economic performance parameter, the simple pay-back period. The method has been accommodated in a simple computational excel-based tool and has been applied to three case studies located in the north Norway, in central Sweden and in south Finland. The production losses related to icing are in the expected ranges typical for the geographic location and so is the economic performance parameter which indicate that the investment in an anti-icing system is recommended for the three case studies. Results showed that the wind resources, the electricity export price and the annual icing hours are the parameters that determine the feasibility of an anti-icing system for a wind farm project.