Northern Power Systems’ distributed wind turbine hits grid parity
Resource from: Northern Power Systems’ 14 Dec,2015
Distributed wind generation is effective for local business owners and farmers who wish to benefit from natural resources to offset high electricity prices and lock in the cost of electricity.
Northern Power Systems, a next-generation renewable energy technology company, has made substantial operational improvements to its 100-kW wind-turbine platform. The result is a marked decrease in the delivered Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of wind power produced by its turbines.
“The current LCOE makes the Northern Power platform even more affordable for farmers, local businesses, and on-site generation users trying to limit the ever increasing cost of electricity,” said Reinout Oussoren, VP of Global Sales. “Small wind is now an even more viable alternative for commercial and industrial users.”
The LCOE — which includes the capital, operating, and any financing costs of an NPS 100-kW turbine over a 20-year+ operating life — has reached parity or better with electricity purchased from the grid.
“When installed at locations with an average 6.5-meter-per-second wind speed, a typical wind-turbine installation will deliver energy costs of approximately eight cents per kilowatt-hour, with a Return on Equity (ROE) of up to 14% and payback in just over five years,” Oussoren explained.
“If a customer leverages its purchase with 70% debt at a commercial rate of 7%, the ROE can exceed 30%,” he added.
(Northern Power Systems’)
