Independent energy expert and assurance provider DNV has been chosen by Spanish company Iberdrola to perform power curve verification at the Bay of St. Brieuc offshore wind farm, employing advanced nacelle lidar technology.
Situated 16 kilometers off Cap Fréhel in the Bay of St. Brieuc in the Côtes-d’Armor distric, the farm is notable for being the first large-scale offshore wind power installation in Brittany and the second in France dedicated to producing clean energy.
Developed by Ailes Marines, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, the 62-turbine farm has been fully operational since May 2024.
With a total installed capacity of 496 MW, the wind farm is expected to significantly enhance the region's clean energy supply, generate enough green electricity to power approximately 835,000 homes, covering 9% of the region’s total consumption.
DNV’s power curve verification project encompasses the design, commissioning, and execution of a power performance measurement (PPM) campaign for three turbines, along with the installation of all necessary equipment to ensure the campaign meets accreditation standards.
Before deployment, the lidars will be calibrated at DNV’s testing facility in Germany to comply with the updated IEC 61400-50-3:2022 standard.
This standard allows for the use of nacelle-mounted lidars (NML) in performance assessments, an area where DNV has extensive expertise.
The power curve verification will enable Iberdrola to align actual energy production with initial projections, improving the accuracy of economic models for the wind farm. The initiative enhances operational efficiency and supports broader sustainable development goals.
“Following the full commissioning of Saint Brieuc Offshore Wind Farm, Iberdrola/Ailes Marines is looking forward to monitoring wind conditions and performance of the asset with the help of nacelle LIDAR technology.
“We expect that the experience and expert knowledge of DNV, one of the key players in power curve testing, will allow for a successful and instructive measurement campaign, based on up-to-date standards and technology,” said Jérôme Dumont, Offshore Wind Resource Manager at Iberdrola.