Renewables

Wind power production is very predictable globally, to less extent locally – study

wind power irec index eoltech

Photo: Enrique from Pixabay

Published

April 3, 2024

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

April 3, 2024

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Onshore wind power production from the same capacity in one country can vary up to 25% from one year to another, however on a larger scale generation is much more stable, according to a study on the variability of wind power that combines data from the last 15 years.

Wind and solar resource assessment consultancy Eoltech has prepared the study by using the irec wind energy indexes. Published each month for 300 regions across 40 countries, they cover two thirds of wind farms in operation in the world.

Irec is a wind energy index that quantifies the production expected in a given period and compares it to the long-term average within each region.

According to Eoltech, its global yardstick encompasses over 400 GW in operating wind farms. It is more than 50% of the total power and more than 80% of the total number of known facilities.

wind power irec index world eoltech

Considering the global onshore wind power portfolio, annual production for the entire portfolio varies within a 3% range over the past 15 calendar years, the firm said.

The European portfolio index encompasses 185 GW in operating wind farms in 23 countries, which is over 88% of overall capacity. It covers more than 97% of individual wind farms.

According to the analysis, the annual production in Europe varies within a 7% range over the past 15 calendar years.

wind power irec index europe eoltech

Eoltech CEO Habib Leseney said the production of an individual wind farm can differ significantly from one year to another, up to 25%, due to the local variation of the wind resource. But on a larger scale, like in Europe or the world, cumulative production is much more stable, he explained.

The analysis also demonstrated there is no downward trend in the global wind resource on a 15-year scale.

“Yes, the wind does always blow somewhere on the planet, and it is good news for wind power going forward,” Leseney added.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

hybrid solar projects LCOE batteries BESS wind solarpower europe

Hybrid solar cuts levelized cost of electricity 10% compared to standalone projects

31 March 2025 - Hybrid solar supports system flexibility, improves the cost-effectiveness of an asset, and makes energy generation more reliable

ja solar Borussia Dortmund signal iduna park

Largest solar power plant on football stadium to be installed at Signal Iduna Park

28 March 2025 - The home of Borussia Dortmund is set to become the site of the world's largest solar power plant installed on a stadium roof

Sungrow ESS Experience Day Munich accelerating sustainable future Europe

Sungrow ESS Experience Day Munich: accelerating to a sustainable future for Europe

28 March 2025 - Experts from across Europe exchanged thoughts at ESS Experience Day in Munich on the role of energy storage systems for grid support and the energy transition

serbia eps hydrogen dusan zivkovic

Serbia’s EPS examining green hydrogen production

27 March 2025 - Serbia's state-owned power company Elektroprivreda Srbije is analyzing options for the production and use of green hydrogen