Project engineering and development
Procurement and tendering management
Procurement and tendering are vital processes for successful development of an energy project. The owner and developer on one side and the supplier and contractors on the other are outlined so project risks can be identified and mitigated.
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Supporting clients with development services
Independent energy yield assessment of a 42 MW (AC) solar farm in Australia, on the site of a decommissioned coal-fired power station. K2...
Independent energy yield assessment of a 42 MW (AC) solar farm in Australia, on the site of a decommissioned coal-fired power station. K2 Management was appointed to undertake an energy yield assessment of the Collinsville Solar Farm following the successful award of $9.5m AUD to RATCH in the latest round of ARENA grant funding.
With only a handful of projects operating, large-scale solar PV remains in its infancy in Australia, making Collinsville a flagship RATCH project.
The proposed farm consists of three large zones of PV arrays to be developed on the site of a decommissioned coal-fired power station. Measured data from an onsite pyranometer located central to the three zones was available.
Once the quality and consistency of the site measurements was confirmed, K2 Management was able to use them in the analysis to improve accuracy in long-term resource predictions, thereby reducing the uncertainty in the energy yield and improving the project P90.
Industry best practice software, methods and tools were applied throughout the analysis and a comprehensive review of losses, specific to the site conditions and equipment under consideration, was undertaken, further improving the accuracy of the results.
Our client said...
"The team was thorough in its approach to this analysis. It is clear they have an in-depth understanding of solar technology and yield analysis methodology, and have applied this to achieve a low uncertainty result. Analysis methods and results were clearly presented in their report, and by supporting our own in-house studies, enable us to progress the project with greater confidence."
Mirjam Tome | Project Development Engineer | RATCH Australia Corporation
From field to financing - energy yield assessment of two onshore CfD projects: Kype Muir and Middle Muir. Only a handful of onshore wind projects...
From field to financing - energy yield assessment of two onshore CfD projects: Kype Muir and Middle Muir. Only a handful of onshore wind projects successfully secured contracts under the first CfD allocation round in 2015. We are pleased to have supported Banks Renewables in bringing two of these to financial close, Kype Muir and Middle Muir.
We supported the projects from green field through to provision of the final analyses required for project financing. The projects were located at complex sites with variable forest cover so we considered advanced wind modelling essential. We applied Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling to realistically predict not only the wind speed but also the flow conditions across the site.
This enabled us to estimate the performance at each individual turbine, reducing the overall assessment uncertainty, leading to a higher P90. Our early involvement in the project lifecycle
helped to promote optimised design. The ongoing analysis we provided informed decision making
at key moments helping minimise energy yield uncertainty. Some of these were in the early stages and may not have been recoverable later in the development lifecycle.
Combining our wind resource, project finance and development expertise across the lifecycle this way enables us to optimise our clients’ projects. This is increasingly important in a market where margins are tighter due to the shift from fixed to variable support mechanism pricing and increasingly contested auction processes.
Our client said...
"K2 Management informed our decision making throughout the development of both projects. Their technical input has helped us deliver optimised projects accompanied by robust energy yield analysis facilitating the project finance due diligence process."
Andrew Liddell | Technical Director | BANKS Group
Using CFD to reduce yield uncertainty for 200 MW Dorenell Wind Farm, a Scottish project in very complex terrain.
Using CFD to reduce yield uncertainty for 200 MW Dorenell Wind Farm, a Scottish project in very complex terrain.
Our Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) service leads the industry in the interpretation of simulation results. Many consultants use CFD as a direct replacement for the simple WAsP wind
flow model, considering only wind speed results.
Whilst CFD can provide improved wind speed prediction, it can also offer so much more. At Prevailing, we extract as much information as possible from CFD simulations to provide the
best net energy yield prediction, considering not only wind speed but also many other flow
parameters that impact turbine performance.
At 200MW, Dorenell Wind Farm is set to be one of Scotland’s largest. The site spans 8 km of very complex terrain in the Grampian Mountains, with steep slopes and forests surrounding the site.
Infinergy approached us to deliver an optimised turbine layout design and energy yield prediction for the project.
CFD was used to understand the wind resource and complex flow features across the site. We used the full three-dimensional CFD simulation results to consider whole-rotor flow conditions, which helped de-risk turbine placement.
Our approach ensured that any severe flow conditions over the lower parts of the turbine rotor are detected early, so ensuring that any potential issues (and costs) come to light before turbines are operational. Using innovative turbine performance risk mapping, the detailed and complex modelling findings were distilled into a simple GIS layer for easy use in the turbine layout design process.
The K2 Management approach allowed Infinergy to incorporate industry leading CFD modelling techniques at the layout design stage, providing confidence that the selected turbine locations
would perform well, despite the mountainous terrain. The same CFD simulation results were
also applied in the subsequent prediction of energy yield for the wind farm, significantly reducing the analysis uncertainty.
Development support and energy yield assessment for 120 MW Grousemount Wind Farm incorporating CFD and noise modelling
Development support and energy yield assessment for 120 MW Grousemount Wind Farm incorporating CFD and noise modelling
We have built up long-standing relationships with wind farm developers, operators and investors globally, working both to supplement their internal technical capability – providing analysis, advice and support as their projects progress – and also in an independent capacity for project financing.
Working with ESB Wind Development since 2009, we have provided a range of services on over 500 MW of in-development and operational projects in Ireland and the UK. The proposed 38-turbine Grousemount project in Ireland is significant because of its size, location, mountainous terrain and a number of complex constraints.
We have provided ongoing support throughout the development process – from layout design and monitoring advice, to noise modelling and financial-grade energy yield assessment. The project is situated in mountainous terrain east of Kenmare in Co. Kerry. Due to restrictions regarding visual impact, many of the turbines are situated at lower elevations than the surrounding terrain, and consequently wind flow conditions across the site are challenging.
We undertook CFD modelling at an early stage to fully investigate wind flow conditions across the
site. Areas of onerous wind flow (high turbulence for example) were identified and this information
was used to micro-site turbine locations and hence maximise energy yield.
We presented CFD results to the client’s technical team with an interactive fly-through to ensure our findings were fully integrated into their layout design process. The same CFD results were later used to improve predictions of wind speed and turbine performance across the site.
Further support to the development team was provided through optimisation of noise constraint schemes for the project. Our in-house developed software selects optimal turbine operational modes, so that noise limits are met with minimal loss of energy.
