Service | Independent Contractual Availability Audit

Understanding the root causes of downtime in wind farms is crucial for asset managers, acquirers, O&M managers, financiers, and insurers. 

Our services connect directly to SCADA or existing data systems, providing detailed month-by-month, year-by-year availability metrics - both contractual and total. To deliver its audits,  WindDeep uses its unique extra intuitive application that identify, categorize, and reassign, when required, downtime responsibilities - from subcontractors to environmental factors - with just a swipe or click. 

WindDeep offers an effective solution for managing and understanding availability, significantly reducing the potential for disputes over recorded downtime and enhancing the balance of information between operators and maintenance providers.

Key Features

  • Track primary sources of unavailability.
  • Strengthen negotiation positions on O&M contracts and insurance policies with robust historical data
  • Instantly identify equipment and alarms causing most downtimes.
  • Prioritize actions that significantly reduce downtime.
  • Better anticipate equipment maintenance needs.

Service designed for

Acquisition or Insurance Due Diligence Asset Management O&M

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Presentation of WindDeep Wind Power Availability Audit

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95% Availability Verification Audit for Onshore and Offshore Wind Farms

Availability is the proportion of time during which a turbine, or the wind farm as a whole, is technically capable of producing electricity. Current offshore wind farms typically achieve an availability of 90% to 95%. Onshore wind farms, which have much lower O&M costs, usually achieve higher availability, around 97%. Most of the time, this availability rate is guaranteed by the manufacturer (Vestas, Nordex, Enercon...) or an O&M provider.

Incidents considered for the downtime count are usually subject to negotiation both at the time of the contract and during ongoing monitoring. Our team provides expertise, advice, and extremely useful analytical tools to support negotiations and verifications.

Study, analysis report of wind farm downtimes

WindDeep Solutions for Availability Tracking

wind power availability analysis

An independent verification of the maintenance contractor’s adherence to contractual availability commitments, such as the commonly agreed 90% or 95%, is crucial for ensuring fair and precise performance assessments. This is vital not only for assessing past performance but also for setting realistic expectations and benchmarks for future operations.

WindDeep’s proprietary tool, the "WindDeep Availability Tracker," simplifies the monitoring and verification process of these commitments. This powerful yet user-friendly application does not require extensive training and enables asset managers, technicians, and even the maintenance contractors themselves to track downtime incidents, identify responsibilities, and facilitate negotiations. It makes the data about incidents comprehensible and transparent, highlighting whether downtimes are due to the owner, the contractor, or force majeure.

Regular Oversight

The Independent Contractual Availability Audit provides thorough due diligence, covers end of warranty periods, or supports refinancing phases. Additionally, our team offers periodic audits as a form of regular oversight, providing crucial support for owners. These services include monthly data reviews and operational checks, requiring minimal client involvement. All information is presented clearly and intelligibly, ensuring owners can easily understand and use the data provided.

Description

Third-Party Expertise and Availability Data Analysis

In the renewable energy sector, precise management of wind farm availability is a key challenge. Independent third-party expertise, such as that provided through a contractual availability audit, addresses this need by offering robust data analysis. This type of service aims to meticulously assess actual availability against contractual commitments, a critical factor in optimizing the performance of wind installations. Drawing on 25 years of industry experience, this approach integrates advanced data collection and analysis systems, such as existing SCADA systems or other similar platforms. The detailed monitoring that results provides better insight into performance deviations. An intuitive application also simplifies the categorization of downtimes, identifying their causes and responsibilities, which streamlines the resolution of potential disputes. This type of audit plays a vital role for asset managers, buyers, operations and maintenance (O&M) teams, financiers, and insurers. It helps mitigate the risks of underperformance, particularly when actual availability falls short of projections in the business plan or financing memo.

Maintenance and Availability: The Role of Wind Audits

Wind audits go far beyond a simple technical check. By combining in-depth data analysis with maintenance recommendations, they provide concrete solutions to enhance equipment availability. For instance, by pinpointing recurring causes of unexpected shutdowns, an audit can guide targeted maintenance efforts, reducing downtime while boosting the overall productivity of a wind farm. This approach transforms raw data into practical strategies tailored to the specifics of each installation.

Why Conduct a Wind Availability Audit?

A wind availability audit is designed to detect production losses that impact a wind farm. By examining each component—from blades to electrical systems—it uncovers structural or operational weaknesses. This process paves the way for precise adjustments, whether through one-off repairs or long-term optimizations, to maximize turbine availability. It’s especially valuable in scenarios where actual performance doesn’t align with initial expectations, offering a solid foundation for informed decision-making. In addition, It is important to provide both a downtime and energy availability analysis.

How Does Wind Analysis and Downtimes Control Work?

Wind analysis and control rely on advanced tools and an approach customized to each wind farm. These methods turn raw data into actionable insights, providing a clear picture of wind performance and areas for improvement.

Our tools, such as Optimum, rely on the WindDeep software suite, which collects and categorizes all incidents based on their origin and responsibility.

The experts at Zelya Energy then analyze the data to produce an Independent Availability Report for the Turbines and Wind Farm.