GASPE, QUE. — The future of wind power across Canada in an era of climate change, including the configuring of wind farms and powering, will be the subject of studies to be undertaken by two research institutes.
The research plan was announced May 30 with Hydro-Quebec, Manitoba Hydro, Ontario Power Generation and the Quebec Wind Energy Cluster as partners.
The studies will be carried out by Ouranos, a research consortium dedicated to regional climatology and climate change adaptation, and Nergica, an applied research centre specializing in renewable energy, said a media statement.
The statement noted with power purchase agreements of wind farms set to expire between now and the end of the next decade, the wind industry is set to potentially undergo large-scale repowering of its wind farms.
The effect of climate change on wind regimes and icing events must be taken into account in order to ensure the best planning possible for repowering wind turbines operating in cold climates, the researchers said.
“The repowering process aims to modernize wind turbines in order to improve wind farm efficiency and performance,” explained Simon-Philippe Breton, project manager in charge of research and innovation at Nergica, in the statement.
To date, very few studies have been conducted that take climate change into account when assessing future wind potential in Canada. This research project will help to anticipate changes in energy yields and to analyze the impacts on wind farm production costs and profitability, the researchers said.
The Quebec Wind Energy Cluster will participate in the economic analysis and in sharing the results with the industry.
The three-year project is evaluated at over $800,000 and is being financed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, InnovEE, Hydro-Quebec and the Green Climate Fund.
The impact of climate change on wind power will be the topic of three presentations at the 12th Quebec Wind Energy Conference, which will be held from June 11 to 13 in Carleton-sur-Mer, Que.
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