Profitability in practice

Most wind and solar service contracts run for a fixed term under the original manufacturer. Most owners only start exploring their options once that term is nearly up. By then, the negotiation leverage is gone.

A structural calculation on a modern wind turbine draws on inputs that all have to agree with each other: the 3D geometry, the loads a specific controller version produces, and the material data behind the parts goes through production. In most engineering organizations, these still live in separate systems, updated on separate timelines. Every input can be individually correct and still not match the others. And while the consequences of this mismatch can be slow at revealing itself, it can be quite damaging to the operations of an OEM.

For every country a wind turbine OEM wants to sell their product, there is a unique grid requirements challenge. If you sell your machine to, let’s say, Australia and Ireland, you will have to make sure that the equipment can deal with the peculiarities of grid compliance. In Australia, they require a plant to reconnect automatically after a grid fault, several times in a row, instead of tripping to protect itself. And in Ireland, they ask for the same persistence. But, with a different startup sequence entirely.

Getting a renewable energy project connected to the grid takes patience and due diligence. In the US, projects reaching commercial operation in 2025 waited a median of five years from their first interconnection request.