State-of-the-art of wind energy in cold climates

Wind turbines in cold climates refer to sites that may experience significant time or frequency of either icing events or low temperatures outside the operational limits of standard wind turbines. The potential for producing electricity at such, often inhabited, sites is vast. Consequently, the International Energy Agency, IEA RD&D Wind has since 2002 operated a working group; Task 19-Wind Energy in Cold Climates. The goal of the cooperation is to monitor reliability of standard and adapted technology and establish guidelines for applying wind power in cold climates. In this report, the state-of-the-art of arctic wind energy is presented: knowledge on climatic conditions and resources, technical solutions in use and operational experience of wind turbines in cold climates. This is the updated version of the first State-of-the-art report published in 2003.