Northern Sweden – ideal testing ground for the next generation of cold climate wind turbines

With this strong growth, wind power will be a vital part of global energy production, so it is timely that Sweden is developing a new wind turbine testing ground to ensure reliable and long lasting operation even in adverse conditions.  In the municipality of Arjeplog in the far north of the country, an old wind farm has been repurposed to serve as the ideal location for testing operations in extreme weather conditions.

The old facility, the Uljobuouda Wind Farm, has been around for years, but it is now being repurposed as a testing ground for the wind power industry.  It was one of the first wind farms in the world to be built in such a harsh environment, located above the tree line some 760 metres above sea level on an exposed mountain side with strong winds and where temperatures can plunge below 40 degrees Celsius.

From the testing and development being done at Cold Climate Test Center (CCT in Uljobuouda Wind Farm), the answer to that question is a clear “yes”.  The testing facility is particularly important for Sweden’s development of wind power, as over the last 10 years wind power production has increased tenfold, and 85 percent of wind power projects in the country are located in cold climates.  So there is a great need to further develop the technology that counteracts and avoids production losses due to icing of wind turbine blades here in Sweden, as well as exporting that knowledge internationally.

Isak Utsi is the municipal councilor in Arjeplog municipality:
– Cold weather and ice formation is a true challenge for wind power, and because we have a lot of cold and tough weather here in the north of Sweden, the location is really perfect for testing ventures. It is a great opportunity for our community to be a part of and develop this area of the sustainable energy sector, he says.

Activity at the testing ground has been increasing recently. Skelleftå Kraft, a municipality owned power company, has received funds from the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova, in order to develope the existing site into a test site, thereby enabling testing of the latest generation wind turbines and their components.

– The project is supported by 20 different partners, everything from municipalities to regions and research institutes. We want to create an open source test bed for wind power developers, says Krister Efverström at Skellefteå Kraft.

In what phase is the project at the moment?  
– At Uljobuouda we are now at a project phase, where we have ten turbines running. But they need to be replaced, and that offers a great opportunity for testing activities where the main purpose is to offer a test platform for developers to develope the new generation of cold climate wind turbines, says Krister Efverström.