Lac Alfred wind farm consists of 150 turbines, commissioned in 2013, originally without any anti- or de-icing solutions. Due to the excessive losses caused by icing, the owners of the wind farm had searched for a solution for icing problem which can be retrofitted. Because of proven technology and operative experience of a local wind turbine maintenance company, Wicetec WIPS -system was selected to solve the problem.
Wicetec delivered WIPS for two wind turbines for a retrofitting project in Lac Alfred wind farm in 2016. This first project aimed to prove the concept of retrofitting WIPS into existing wind turbines. The performance of the two systems was evaluated by a third party who used measurement data, camera observations and compared the performance to neighboring turbines.
As the first installations were a success, Wicetec has delivered to EDF Renewables total of 40 retrofit systems in two different wind farms.