Best practices for wind energy in cold climates - resource assessment and site classification

Deployment of wind energy in cold climate (CC) areas is growing rapidly. Wind resources in CC areas are typically good and the areas are often low populated which makes these areas suitable for wind energy production. The main challenges of wind energy in CC arise from icing of wind turbine rotor blades which reduces energy yield, mechanical life time of turbines and increases safety risks due to ice throw. Large-scale exploitation of CC sites has started. But one question is ""how CC affect to wind resources and resource assessment"". Key to successful resource assessment is good quality wind measurements. But even the most up to standards wind measurements can fail in icing conditions, thus resulting to loss of data or wrong conclusions about wind resources. IEA Wind Task19 - Wind Energy in Cold Climates has produced best practice show to set up reliable measurement systems for resource assessment in icing conditions. Also, Task 19 group has developed a site classification with respect to icing conditions, IEA Ice Classification. The purpose of the classification is to give first indication on the severity and consequences of icing at a given site.