Post by IntelStor

Global #offshorewind energy capacity factor by region from the IntelStor - The Future of Renewables #marketresearch report. Average capacity factor analysis for offshore wind shows that the installed capacity in the Americas operates most efficiently with a capacity factor of just over 49%. Despite the relatively young age of the installed base in the USA, this would be expected for offshore wind resources which have much lower turbulence intensity and the ability to sustain a high output for a longer duration. By contrast, Europe’s average capacity factor at 26.8% indicates the impact of asset age on the degradation of performance. Over time, equipment tends to become less efficient, so even though new capacity is being installed in Europe, offshore wind turbines have faced operational challenges there which have meant they have not performed up to an expected level. In the Asia Pacific region, which is dominated by China, the average capacity factor for offshore wind is just 25.5%. While this is low, it is potentially more expected of Chinese technology which dominates the region. Besides lower average wind speed range than in Europe of the project sites in the USA, Chinese wind turbines have seen lower availability historically because wind turbine OEMs were not always allowed to maintain their own equipment. This had a deleterious effect on performance which has hurt China’s international ambitions by making it seem that their wind turbines are inferior to Western technology. Buy online access to the report content today at https://lnkd.in/eJfXigW7