When generating electricity from solar and wind power, uncertainties must be taken into account: not only are weather conditions variable, but there are also curtailments by grid operators and technical failures due to damage or modernisation of the plants. “Overall, however, the good performance of our plants last year shows that uncertainties can be easily managed with an experienced team“, comments Patrick Lemcke-Braselmann, Co-CEO of the aream Group. 

Last December showed once again that one must be prepared for disruptions in the production of green electricity. The aream solar plants in Germany benefited from an above-average number of hours of sunshine. However, snow in some regions and minor technical failures led to yields below expectations (85 per cent of target achieved). The plants in Spain achieved stable performance with below-average irradiation values: the target was achieved at 78 per cent, while irradiation was 99 per cent. Irradiation values were also below average in Italy. 

Solar balance for the year as a whole: Above-average irradiation values (approximately 105 per cent of the expected annual irradiation) and curtailments by grid operators (around five GWh) led to a yield in Germany that was slightly below expectations at 96 per cent, adjusted for irradiation and curtailments. In contrast, values in Spain were below average at around 95 per cent of the expected annual irradiation. This was compounded by curtailments, losses due to the Spanish grid failure at the end of April and damage to one plant. Nevertheless, the annual yield remained only slightly below expectations, with 97 per cent of the target achieved. The aream plants in Italy achieved an adjusted result of 99 per cent – despite below-average irradiation values, outages due to the revamping of one plant and various instances of damage. 

Last December, aream's wind turbines once again suffered from calm conditions and partial icing of the rotor blades. Only around 75 per cent of the target value was achieved. Looking at the year as a whole, there were no major technical failures and the plants ran smoothly. Nevertheless, the windy autumn months were unable to compensate for the very windless months of February to April, August and November/December. The bottom line is that total yield fell short of expectations, with the production target being achieved at around 83 per cent.