Energy Losses Analysis for Wind: How Delfos Helps Uncover the Real Causes Behind Underperformance
Discover how Delfos' Energy Losses feature reveals the root causes of underperformance in wind assets, helping asset managers take decisive action.
Asset managers, portfolio heads, and O&M leaders across the wind sector consistently face the same difficult question: Why is my wind plant underperforming and what can I do about it?
While SCADA data and monthly reports hint at availability or wind fluctuations, few tools offer a clear, data-driven breakdown of the actual causes behind energy shortfalls. The result is reactive decision-making, missed revenue, ongoing frustration across teams – or generic maintenance plans.
The Energy Losses module by Delfos addresses this gap with precision, transparency, and actionable intelligence.
In this blog, we’ll explore how this feature empowers stakeholders like COG Managers, Heads of Asset Management, and even C-level executives to quantify unrealized energy, uncover root causes, and make smarter decisions.
Why Understanding Energy Losses Matters
In the wind sector, production deviations are inevitable, but not all of them are acceptable.
Whether it’s downtime, grid curtailments, or subtle performance inefficiencies, every MWh of energy lost carries financial and contractual consequences. But not all losses are visible, and traditional monitoring tools lack the granularity to isolate causes.
Delfos' Energy Losses module tackles this complexity by turning raw data into a multi-dimensional loss analysis, making it easier to:
Justify performance gaps in contractual reports;
Prioritize maintenance actions based on impact;
Align technical and financial performance goals;
Benchmark sites with transparency and accuracy.
In short: you get clarity, not just charts.
What Is the Energy Losses Module?
The Energy Losses functionality is part of Delfos’ Wind Intelligence suite. It provides a detailed, categorized view of unrealized energy, helping operators understand both what they’re missing and why.
At its core, this feature combines:
A Breakdown waterfall analysis that visually compares expected (certified or model-based) vs. measured production;
A flexible selection of time intervals and asset groups to zoom into specific causes of loss;
The organization of losses into manageable and unmanageable categories and compare the energy impact of each;
Categorization of losses based on IEC 61400, which can be expanded according to customer needs.
By quantifying loss categories and identifying the gap between expected and actual generation, Delfos empowers performance and asset managers to move beyond vague explanations and uncover root-cause insights — enabling the design of targeted maintenance plans tailored to deliver results for each specific wind farm.
The interface gives operators on-demand visibility of where losses are occurring, their severity, and whether they’re within acceptable expectations.
The Energy Losses module provides detailed categorization of unrealized energy (lost production) and potential gains.
Prioritize O&M efforts on the loss categories with the highest impact;
Document underperformance causes with evidence-backed visuals;
Avoid disputes with OEMs or EPCs by showing deviation from expected norms.
For Portfolio Managers & C-Level Executives:
Translate energy losses into financial impact;
Align board expectations with ground truth on asset reliability;
Support investment or repowering decisions based on quantified inefficiencies.
Delfos Differentiator: Not Just Monitoring, But Decision Intelligence
Unlike competitors, Delfos offers granular, customizable categorization of energy losses across multiple dimensions, including curtailment, performance and corrective maintenance. It is also possible to convert energy losses into financial insights: The Monetization feature translates energy losses into monetary values, providing clear insights into historical financial impact across the portfolio. This allows users to quantify energy inefficiencies directly in terms of revenue loss, supporting better-informed business decisions.
This means you don’t just see that you're underperforming, you see why, where, and how much it costs.
In addition, Delfos integrates this analysis into a broader intelligence ecosystem, linking losses to alarm, curtailment and resource history, continuous performance analyses, thus creating a 360º view of performance.
From Data to Action: Maximize Your Wind Portfolio’s Potential
The Energy Losses feature by Delfos is a critical step forward in wind portfolio management. By turning complexity into clarity, it helps renewable energy leaders identify what truly limits production and how to fix it.
In a sector where every MWh counts, Delfos ensures no loss goes unexplained.
FAQ
What is the Delfos Energy Losses module for wind farms?
The Delfos Energy Losses module is a wind intelligence feature that quantifies unrealized energy in wind farms by comparing expected versus measured production and categorizing the gap by root cause. It transforms raw SCADA and production data into a clear, structured breakdown of where energy is being lost and why.
Why is analyzing wind energy losses with Delfos important?
Analyzing energy losses with Delfos helps wind operators move beyond generic explanations such as “low wind” or “availability issues.” The module reveals which losses are acceptable and which represent avoidable underperformance with financial impact. This allows asset managers to justify deviations in reports, reduce disputes, and align technical performance with business expectations.
How does Delfos identify the root causes of wind plant underperformance?
Delfos uses a waterfall breakdown that compares expected (certified or model-based) generation against measured production and splits the gap into detailed loss categories. Users can filter by time interval and asset group, distinguish manageable from unmanageable losses, and leverage IEC 61400-based classifications that can be customized to their portfolio. This turns complex performance data into clear, root-cause insights.
What loss categories does Delfos Energy Losses track?
Delfos tracks losses across multiple dimensions, including curtailment, performance inefficiencies, and corrective maintenance, organized into manageable and unmanageable groups. Losses are categorized following IEC 61400 standards and can be expanded according to customer needs. This structured view helps teams understand both how much energy is lost and which mechanisms are driving the shortfall.
How does Delfos convert energy losses into financial impact?
The Monetization feature in Delfos translates quantified energy losses into monetary values for each portfolio or site. By converting MWh lost into revenue loss, decision-makers can clearly see the historical financial impact of inefficiencies and curtailments. This supports better-informed investment, repowering, and contracting decisions across the wind portfolio.
Who benefits the most from Delfos Energy Losses inside a wind organization?
Delfos Energy Losses is used by COG managers, heads of asset management, and O&M leaders who need a precise view of causes behind underperformance. Portfolio managers and C-level executives benefit from the ability to link losses to financial impact and asset reliability. The same set of insights serves both technical teams and the strategic layer of energy management.
How is Delfos different from traditional SCADA monitoring and monthly reports?
Traditional SCADA dashboards and monthly reports often show availability and production trends but rarely explain the true origin of energy shortfalls. Delfos goes further by providing granular loss categorization, customizable per customer, and a waterfall analysis that explains exactly where deviations occur. It also connects losses with alarm, curtailment, resource history, and continuous performance analyses, offering a 360° view of plant performance instead of isolated KPIs.
Aspect
Traditional monitoring
Delfos Energy Losses
View of underperformance
High-level deviations without clear root causes
Waterfall view comparing expected vs. measured production with detailed reasons
Loss categorization
Generic or limited categories
IEC 61400-based categories, expanded to customer needs and separated into manageable/unmanageable
Business impact
Energy KPIs with limited financial linkage
Monetization feature converts energy losses into revenue loss across the portfolio
Context
Alarms and events seen in isolation
Losses integrated with alarms, curtailment and resource history for a 360° performance view
Decision support
Reactive decisions and generic action plans
Evidence-backed insights to prioritize O&M and support strategic portfolio decisions
How does Delfos support O&M planning and performance optimization?
Delfos highlights which loss categories have the highest impact, so O&M teams can prioritize actions where they will recover the most energy. The platform documents causes of underperformance with evidence-backed visuals, helping avoid disputes with OEMs or EPCs and enabling targeted maintenance plans tailored to each wind farm. This strengthens collaboration between technical and financial teams around a shared, data-driven picture.
Can Delfos benchmark energy losses across multiple wind sites and portfolios?
Yes. Delfos enables users to group assets, compare loss categories, and benchmark sites with transparency and accuracy. By standardizing how losses and their monetary impact are quantified, portfolio managers can compare plants consistently, identify best and worst performers, and prioritize investment or repowering opportunities.
How can I start using Delfos to analyze energy losses in my wind assets?
To start using Delfos Energy Losses, you simply need to connect your wind farm or portfolio data so the platform can model expected production and compare it to actual generation. From there, Delfos automatically categorizes losses, monetizes their impact, and provides dashboards for all relevant stakeholders. You can request a guided demo to see how the module applies to your specific wind assets.
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