A WARNING has been given that blaming calm weather for reduced power generation from wind farms could hamper investment in renewable energy. A summer of low wind has led to opponents of wind farms to claim they are ineffective and expensive but experts believe poor performance may be due to other reasons such as faulty equipment. If not addressed, a trend for over-attributing low production solely to wind resource could be damaging to clean electricity output across European wind farms, according to Clir, the leading provider of digital asset performance technology for the wind industry. Calm weather all over Europe last summer has helped drive peak hour power prices to their second highest level since 2018. Energy companies, including SSE in the UK and Orsted in Denmark, reported their lowest wind speeds for two decades, while the pressure to deliver on production targets was at an all-time high.
The National 16th Jan 2022 read more »