With investment under pressure across the wind industry, asset owners are paying closer attention to the performance of turbines already in operation. For Andreas Berg Nielsen, CEO of Windar Photonics, the opportunity lies not only in adding new capacity, but in extracting more value from the existing global wind fleet.
Having spent the previous year close to the business at board level, Nielsen says one of the factors that attracted him to the CEO role was the measurable impact already being achieved. More than 1,700 units have been installed worldwide, yet he believes awareness of turbine optimisation and its potential remains limited.
More value from existing assets
AI is giving asset owners faster access to operational performance analysis, but identifying which findings can translate into better financial outcomes remains a challenge.
This is particularly relevant for ageing fleets, where the original assumptions about wind resources and lifecycle maintenance costs may no longer reflect operating reality.
Nielsen sees several factors increasing the focus on optimisation:
- Pressure on investment and access to capital
- A large global installed turbine base
- Greater access to operational performance data
- The potential to identify previously unnoticed energy losses
Rather than choosing between new capacity and existing assets, Nielsen argues that the balance is changing. Owners increasingly want to understand how much additional value can be obtained from turbines they already operate.
Measuring wind at the turbine
Windar’s light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology measures wind speed and direction in real time. Nielsen argues that independent measurement can give operators clearer information for optimisation decisions.
Energy production provides one of the most visible measures of improvement, but he believes identifying losses that currently go unnoticed can be equally important.
According to Nielsen, customers can assess the impact through a pilot or full wind farm implementation, with value potentially realised within four to six months. The company also says returns can, in many cases, become visible within the same or following calendar year.
These are company-specific performance claims and results will depend on the individual project, but Nielsen believes a short and measurable payback period is particularly relevant in a capital-constrained market.
Reducing operational disruption
Any optimisation technology must also fit into existing wind farm operations. Operators cannot afford unnecessary disruption simply to gather better performance information.
Windar describes its system as plug-and-play, designed for installation with minimal operational disruption. Nielsen also highlights consistency of measurement across turbines as an important distinction.
He argues that conventional supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) methods can be affected by parameters outside the operator’s control and may require calibration. By contrast, Windar says its LiDAR can provide consistent measurements across turbines without complex calibration.
The opportunity in an ageing fleet
For Nielsen, the largest commercial opportunity is the existing global turbine fleet. Even relatively small performance improvements across a large installed base could produce meaningful additional value.
The company is also strengthening its presence across:
- The Americas
- Europe
- Asia Pacific
Its technical roots remain connected to the Technical University of Denmark, which is a shareholder and has provided part of the company’s engineering talent.
Nielsen’s immediate priority as CEO is to strengthen commercial execution and prepare the organisation for further growth. Windar is also focusing on its WindTIMIZER products, with the latest version expected to be released in the autumn.
The broader argument is straightforward: in a market where new investment is increasingly difficult, improving the performance of assets already operating can become an important part of an owner’s strategy. Better measurement can help identify where losses occur and which improvements are commercially worthwhile.
For Nielsen, that makes optimisation less about theoretical future gains and more about understanding what existing turbines can deliver today.
For the complete interview on LiDAR measurement, turbine optimisation and extracting greater value from existing wind assets, visit PES Wind: https://pes.eu.com/exclusive-articles/why-wind-asset-owners-are-turning-their-attention-to-optimisation
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