Texas and California had a great deal in common last week! Both states had extreme heat and heavy power usage while wind power production suffered due to the low speed winds that often accompany oppressive temperatures.
Every time the two states in the U.S. with the largest populations experience this downside “Daily Double”, I am reminded of a conversation I had years ago with my good friend Doug Gilbert Smith who runs the ERCOT trading desk with JP Morgan.
We were discussing the benefits of using control strategies on wind farms that include wake steering considerations, when he pointed out that in oppressive heat, the accompanying low wind speeds (4-8Mps) are usually accompanied by extreme wake that cause wind farms to underproduce even more, just when power prices are increasing dramatically!
It is actually a “Triple Whammy!”
Is there anything a wind farm can do about this? There is. Using wake steering control strategies during low speed wind in very hot temperatures is a great idea. It will minimize losses by extracting more revenue with increased power as described. Wind farms in hot states like Texas and California can benefit quickly from this easily implemented approach. They need to contact Vayu now.
(Be sure to ask about Vayu’s ancillary service for wind farms in warm states built between 2005-2018. If you listened to a site planner that told you your site required turbines be located seven rotor diameters apart to avoid wake, the combination of Vayu control strategies and a repowered site plan could bring you very big benefits.) Send us a note- info@Vayuai.com.
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