OPTIMIZATION-BASED TECHNO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF ONSHORE WIND TURBINES UNDER UNCERTAINTY IN SLOVENIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18690/jet.19.4.%25p.2026Keywords:
renewable energy, onshore wind energy, wind turbine optimization, techno-economic assessment, uncertainty analysisAbstract
Renewable energy systems require site-appropriate technology selection to ensure both high energy production and economic viability. This study developed a general optimization-based techno-economic framework for assessing onshore wind turbine configurations, and applied it to nine representative locations in Slovenia, optimizing hub height, rotor diameter, and rated power using annual energy production, net present value (NPV), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and a weighted combined objective. The selected configurations were evaluated through deterministic sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation, to assess the uncertainty in the wind resource, technical, and economic parameters. Maximizing energy production alone produced oversized and economically inefficient configurations, whereas optimization based on the economic objectives (NPV and LCOE) yielded smaller turbines, and the combined-objective formulation provided a more balanced trade-off. Wind resource quality, electricity price, capital expenditure, and discount rate were the principal determinants of profitability, while favorable deterministic outcomes did not always remain economically robust under uncertainty.
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