Fatigue loads of iced turbines: Two case studies

The cold climate wind energy market is expanding rapidly due to its excellent wind resources but a lot of uncertainty exists in understanding the fatigue loads of iced turbine under normal power production operation. Two measurement campaigns were analysed on two climatically different sites (Canada and Sweden) to locate and quantify the severity of ice induced fatigue loads on commercially available turbines. Both campaigns showed similar results: icing causes production losses and slight to moderate increases tower base side-to-side fatigue loads. Individual blades and other main components did not show increased wear and tear during iced turbine operation compared to non-iced power production. These results can be used to formulate new design load cases for turbines that intend to operate in cold and icing climates.