Alpha Ventus capacity factor falls

GERMANY: Generation from the 60MW Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm was disappointing in 2013, with an average capacity factor of 42.7%, a 12% decrease on the previous three years.

by Sara Knight 21 February 2014

Alpha Ventus — Germany's first offshore wind farm

In 2013, Alpha Ventus generated 224.6GWh, 3.3% or 7.7GWh below the forecast average yield of around 232GWh per year and equivalent to a capacity factor of 42.7% or 3,741 full load hours.

The average yield over the three-year period 2011-2013 was 253.14GWh per year, exceeding the forecast yield by approximately 10%, the company said. The average capacity factor was 48.1% over the three-year period, or 4,214 full load hours per year.

Low winds in February, April, May and July 2013 and technical downtimes of individual wind turbines were not fully compensated by the particularly windy months of October and December 2013, said operator company DOTI.