Cold Climate Wind

Objectives

Cold climate regions represent a growing share of the global wind market, with an estimated 25% of installed onshore capacity being in cold climate conditions at the end of 2025 [1]. The IEA Wind TCP Task 54 focuses on the unique atmospheric and operational challenges present in those cold climate regions.

Cold climate sites are defined as those that experience either icing events or temperatures lower than the operational limits of standard wind turbines. Low temperature sites require special solutions to keep turbines operating. In icing conditions, a combination of low temperatures and liquid water in the atmosphere results in ice accretion on surfaces, such as wind turbine blades, towers and nacelle.

Blade icing results in loss of lift and increase in drag, resulting in reduced energy production. Icing can increase mechanical loads on the turbine, vibrations in structures and noise. In addition, ice on the blades, nacelles and towers can present a health and safety risk, due to ice falling off or being thrown from the blades.

Finally, due to the growing installed capacity, large regional icing events can have systemwide effects in the energy system, which highlights the need to improve the performance of forecasts and understanding of the impact of icing events beyond the wind farm.

Task 54 aims to develop recommendations, software tools and solutions that can be used to mitigate the risks cold climate conditions cause for wind power operations. The task works in close collaboration with industry and academia to try to ensure transfer of state-of-the-art knowledge and industry best practices to wider audience within the cold climate wind community.

Participation

Progress, Results, and Impact in 2025

Task 54 is divided into 7 subtasks aimed at different subtopics of cold climate wind. Several of these subtasks were launched during 2025.

In Subtask 1 work has started on operational strategies for wind turbines in cold climates, recognizing that optimal choices depend heavily on site-specific conditions. As technical solutions and market expectations evolve, the subtask aims to guide owners and developers in selecting strategies that balance safety, production, revenue optimization and asset lifetime. A key objective is to publish best-practice recommendations and KPIs to help wind farm operators evaluate and refine their chosen operational approaches.

The work on operational strategies has started, and the working group has been formed with the goal of finalizing the recommendations before the end of 2026.

Subtask 2 on ice throw risk management started in 2025. The aim is to assess and improve strategies for managing ice throw risk, recognizing that regulatory approaches vary widely across countries. It will compare international case studies to analyze actual ice fall and ice throw risks, the measures used to mitigate them, and how these relate to local conditions and regulations. The subtask will also focus on compiling national practices, improving tools and processes for risk assessment, and evaluating the effects of technologies and operational strategies on risk reduction. The final objective is to deliver harmonized recommendations and decision‑support tools that can strengthen international guidelines and help enable continued turbine operation in icing when conditions allow.

During 2025, the subtask was formed and work started to collect a compilation of international case studies with participants of the subtask.

Subtask 3 is focused on wind turbine performance in cold climate conditions. During 2025, the focus of subtask 3 has been on the development of an open-source software tool to analyze wind turbine SCADA data for icing related losses. The tool estimates performance losses and icing frequency at a given site. The software is based on an earlier IEA wind Tak 19 tool, developed further based on industry feedback from operators and analysts who have incorporated the tool into their daily workflow.

An early development version of the software has been made available and during 2026, based on the feedback received from industry workshops, the tool will be finalized as the first release version. [2]

Subtask 4 of the IEA Wind TCP Task 54 investigates how icing affects offshore wind farms as development expands into colder regions. The work examines three main areas: how atmospheric icing behaves at sea and how well onshore detection methods translate offshore; the potential for sea-spray icing and sea-ice interactions. The main goal is investigating how well the existing knowledge of icing conditions on land transfers to sea. The subtask aims to produce a state-of-the-art review, identify research needs, and support future recommended practices for safe and reliable offshore wind operation in icing climates.

Dissemination of the work is also an important part of the Task to make sure that the Task 54 outputs reach their intended audience. During 2025, a review on the state-of-the-art of cold climate wind related challenges and solutions was conducted by members of Task 54. The results were published by Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs) Energy and Environment as "Cold Climate Wind: challenges, technological solutions and policy" in early 2026. [3]

In addition, an analysis on the size of the cold climate wind market was conducted based on available information on install base and IEA forecasts on wind power growth. The conclusion was that currently around 27 % of installed onshore wind is in cold climate conditions.

Next Steps

The main goal for this stage of Task 54 is to release a new IEA Wind recommended practice for cold climate wind operations. During 2026, the goal is to review the existing recommended practice 13 to see what parts of it are outdated and identify the update needs to bring IEA wind recommendations up to date with industry standards. To support this work, the different subtasks will continue their efforts towards completing their own final deliverables.

The ice throw subtask will continue the work to compare international best practices and recommendations within the task working group. And an effort will be launched to review the site ice classification introduced by IEA wind task 19 in 2011.

References

1. Karlsson, T. (2026). IEAWind TCP Task 54: Cold climate wind market size [Conference Presentation]. Winterwind 2026, Sundsvall, Sweden. https://windren.se/WW2026/10_3_24_Karlsson_IEA_Wind_Task_54_Global_cold_climate_wind_market_size_Pub_v2.pdf
2. IEAWind TCP Task 54. (2026). IceLossMethod (Version 3.0) [Computer software]. IEA Wind TCP Task 54. https://github.com/IEAColdClimateWind/IceLossMethod
3. Karlsson, T., A.Begin-Drolet, C.Godreau, et al. 2026. "Cold Climate Wind: Challenges, Technological Solutions and Policy." Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment15, no. 1: e70025. https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.70025.