Lower levelized cost of energy key to making wind power more economically viable

In the week leading up to EWEA 2014, I look at how ABB is helping to the lower the levelized cost of energy, a decisive factor for investors

According to the IEA forecast,  by 2030 up to 40 percent of the global electricity generation could come from renewable energy sources. [i] But to make the most of the potential of renewable energy, the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) needs to be further reduced.

LCoE is the decisive factor for investors. It tells them how much the generation of each kWh costs when taking into account incomes from annual production on the one side and the initial investment and operating and maintenance costs such as fuel and fuel related costs (e.g. CO2 price and nuclear waste costs) on the other side. O&M costs are not to be underestimated over the average lifetime of a wind turbine, which can span 20 to 25 years.

At ABB we are continuously working on increasing the electricity production (and incomes) and on decreasing the operation and maintenance cost for our products and systems. At EWEA this year, ABB will be launching its new wind generator and low voltage (LV) wind turbine converter which have been designed for lower maintenance requirements, greater efficiency and higher production, thus lowering the LCoE.

Our new doubly-fed wind generator, designed for onshore turbines over 3 MW, offers an efficiency of approximately 97.5% at its rated speed and now comes with an upgraded slip ring unit for increased brush lifetime and low maintenance requirements.

ABB’s next generation of LV wind turbine converters for onshore and offshore wind turbines of up to 8 MW, feature ABB’s enhanced direct torque control (DTC) for fast and precise generator control and grid code compliance and parallel-connected sub-converters for a higher overall efficiency and redundancy. Its enhanced diagnostics system enables long-term planning of service and maintenance work

Please visit us at EWEA’s annual event in Barcelona where we will officially introduce our new generator and wind turbine converter.


[i] IEA WEO 2013, World electricity generation, New policies, Current policies and 450 scenarios

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Teijo Kärnä

Toimin ABB:llä liiketoimintakehitysjohtajana vastuualueena tuulivoima ja erityisesti tuuliturbiiniin tulevat generaattorit ja taajuusmuuttajat. ABB:llä olen ollut vuodesta 1998 erilaisissa myyntitehtävissä, joihin myös nykyinen tehtäväni lukeutuu. Olen toiminut tuulivoiman parissa jo toistakymmentä vuotta, ja seurannut läheltä tuulivoiman huikeaa kehitystä ja kasvua maailmalla. Tämä kehitys innostaa ymmärtämään energiatuotantoa kokonaisuutena ja sitä, miten ABB:läisenä voin auttaa kehittämään parempia ratkaisuja tulevien energiahaasteiden ratkaisemiseksi.
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