Section D Ι Commercial Optimisation

Thursday, 22 September 2016, 14:00-14:30h/D02

Benchmarking of technical wind farm OPEX using the concept of characteristic numbers

Dr. Rudolf Zauner, VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH, Austria

In addition to its large hydro power portfolio, VERBUND operates a fleet of 153 wind turbines (418 MW) in Austria, Germany and Romania. The bulk of this energy produced by wind power is traded on the electricity market. The ever increasing pressure to reduce generation costs has also hit wind energy and VERBUND therefore routinely analyses operation- and cost-relevant indicators using the concept of KPIs (key performance indicators). In addition to traditional KPIs such as availabilities (time-based, energy-based, monetary), a characteristic number has been developed for comparing the OPEX (technical operational costs) of different wind farms. Based on experience with characteristic numbers for hydro power plants, the OPEX of wind farms of different ages, technologies and sizes in various countries can thus be compared. Examples show why the expected OPEX (characteristic number) deviate above or below the expectations for specific wind farms. Analysis of the OPEX shows that the bulk of the technical operating costs (around 70%) are accounted for by maintenance and repair. By in-sourcing the maintenance and repair of a number of wind farms and having these activities performed by its own staff, VERBUND was able to further reduce the OPEX. The effects on the characteristic numbers of these wind farms and further ways of optimizing costs are shown. The characteristic OPEX number is not only a valuable tool for monitoring the cost of running assets but can also be useful for the evaluation and due diligence of potential acquisitions and business plans for new wind farms.