Wind Energy
Barlovento experience in wind energy covers all aspects of engineering and consultancy, along the useful life-span of the wind farm, from the initial planning to the dismantling, passing through Due Dilligences, among others.
We carry out measurement campaigns by means of met masts following the standards of the wind industry. Our laboratory is accredited for the execution of these activities by ENAC.
We manage measurement campaigns using met mats all over the world, as well as through remote sensing devices (SODAR/LIDAR).
The service includes all the development, since the site selection, management of permits and authorizations, installation, data processing and dismantling.
Barlovento has its own software of automatic measurement processing: GESMED® which allows the immediate control of the condition of the met masts, and instantly offers the revised data to the customer.
We customized develop wind plans for governments, public administrations, energy entities and local communities.
We also elaborate wind resource regional plans even with no previous measurements, as well as environmental restriction maps and others (noise restrictions, shadow flicker, electric restrictions,…), definition of wind farm and solutions for grid connection.
We carry out wind resource and energy yield assessments from our own or customer’s measurements. Besides, we perform preliminary wind resource assessments without previous measurements by means of meso and microscale models.
Based on the wind resource assessments and the different factors (environmental, accesses, electrical grid, etc.), we analyze the feasibility of every wind turbine model, according to the international design standards. Once the turbine model is selected, we define the wind turbine positions, accesses, electric infrastructure, etc. and evaluate the feasibility of the wind farm.
We study the wind farms feasibility, considering all aspects in order to guarantee the effectiveness in the future wind farm: wind resource, site-assessment, micrositting, environmental factors, economic aspects, operation and maintenance specifications, execution schedule, etc.
We offer support in financing (Due Diligence, audits, etc.) and purchase-sale of wind farms, offering technical assistance to the customer all along the process.
As well, we draw up technical reports for arbitration as an independent engineering.
After the start-up of the wind farm, we check the fulfilment of all warranties in wind farms in exploitation: power performance of the wind turbines, energy yield of the wind farm, availability, O&M conditions, etc.
We analyze the energy yield of wind farms in exploitation. These studies comprise, among others, the following aspects:
- Re-evaluation of the long-term expected production in wind farms in operation.
- Identification of the causes of deviation with respect to the expected production.
- Proposal of corrective actions in order to improve the energy results of the wind farm: changes in the operation and maintenance strategies, timetable changes in the performance, reparations, retrofits, etc.
- Proposal of improvements in the wind sector management based on real production data of the wind farm.
Our test laboratories are accredited, according to the standard ISO-17025 for the following tests:
- Testing of Power Curve of Wind Turbines
- Acoustic noise measurement
- Mechanical loads
- Testing of durability, operation and safety, power performance and noise of small wind turbines
- Meteorological campaigns for wind resource assessment
- Continued supply in case of voltage drops test
- Model validation of wind turbines and component for simulation test
- Power Quality” test,
Besides those tests, Barlovento also carries out other tests such as:
- Verification of wind turbines power performance by means of nacelle anemometry.
- Monitoring of different variables of wind turbine in operation and analysis of their influence in the wind farm performance.
- Performance and operation analysis of wind turbines and wind farms.
- We carry out the planning of offshore measurement campaigns, from the site selection for the installation of a met mast, floating LIDAR or marine buoy; as well as the selection of the necessary equipments. We also evaluate the wind potential in offshore wind farms, based on data from met masts, LIDAR, buoys, satellites and models.
- We collaborate in the project ZÈFIR, one of the main experimental projects of offshore wind energy in Spain.
In the area of small wind turbines, our activities comprise from the wind resource assessment in isolated or urban areas, up to the execution of installations, and including accredited tests (power performance, durability and noise).