In the renewable energy sector, one of the biggest challenges faced by producers is curtailment (also known as constrained-off or production restriction in power generation facilities). Curtailment can lead to significant revenue losses and efficiency issues, but with the right solutions, these impacts can be minimized. In this blog post, we will explore the challenges of curtailment and how Delfos offers effective solutions to overcome these obstacles.
What is Curtailment?
Curtailment occurs when energy generation exceeds the grid's capacity, resulting in wasted energy and revenue loss. This issue is exacerbated by limited transmission infrastructure and the variability of renewable resources. On days with high solar or wind energy production, generation can far exceed the grid's capacity, forcing a reduction in output to prevent overloads.
Challenges of Curtailment
- Transmission Infrastructure The transmission infrastructure is still developing to support the growing production of renewable energy. In many regions, grid capacity is insufficient to handle production peaks, leading to frequent curtailment.
- Compensation Mechanisms System operators determine the reasons for curtailment and calculate compensable losses. However, only a few situations are eligible for compensation, creating uncertainty and discomfort among producers. The lack of accurate and real-time data can further complicate the process of claiming compensation.
- Loss Management Accurately identifying and calculating curtailment losses is an ongoing challenge. Without the right tools, producers struggle to justify unmet targets and manage asset efficiency.
Delfos Solutions for Curtailment
Delfos offers an advanced platform that empowers renewable energy producers to effectively address these challenges. Our solutions include:
- Real-Time Monitoring Our platform provides integrated, real-time monitoring of asset conditions and key operational indicators. This allows for immediate identification of anomalies and performance issues, enabling swift corrective actions.
- Data Quality Assurance Delfos ensures data integrity through continuous monitoring. This is crucial for ensuring that the data submitted to system operators is accurate, avoiding compensation issues and improving the precision of claims.
- Compensation Tools Our platform allows for precise calculation of curtailment losses and streamlines the compensation process. With operational data collected and analyzed, producers can claim compensation more effectively and transparently.
- Frustrated Energy Management Delfos helps manage the periods of lost energy generation due to curtailment. Through detailed reporting and advanced analysis, it is possible to identify and justify losses clearly and accurately, improving operational management and asset efficiency.
Conclusion
Curtailment is a significant challenge for renewable energy producers, but with the right tools and strategies, its impact can be minimized. Delfos offers advanced monitoring, data analysis, and predictive maintenance solutions that empower energy producers to effectively manage curtailment, enhancing the sustainability and profitability of renewable energy assets.
If you are facing challenges related to curtailment, explore Delfos solutions and discover how we can help turn these challenges into opportunities for optimization and efficiency. Contact us for a personalized demonstration and see how we can make a difference in your renewable energy management.
What is curtailment in renewable energy?
Curtailment (also called constrained-off or production restriction) happens when generation exceeds the grid’s ability to absorb power. Operators reduce output to prevent overloads, which wastes energy and erodes revenue—especially during high wind or solar production.
Delfos connection: Delfos tracks curtailment periods in real time and quantifies their revenue impact, so teams can act quickly and report accurately.
What causes curtailment and why does it matter?
Curtailment is driven by limited transmission capacity and the variability of renewables. On strong wind or high-irradiance days, production can outpace grid capability. The result: lost MWh, missed targets, and lower asset efficiency.
Delfos connection: Delfos surfaces congestion-driven events and their root causes, helping O&M and asset managers prioritize mitigation.
How does transmission infrastructure contribute to curtailment?
In many regions, transmission expansion lags renewable growth. Insufficient grid capacity during production peaks leads to frequent constrained-off instructions and forced output reductions.
Delfos connection: With fleet-wide dashboards, Delfos highlights when and where grid limits are driving losses, informing operational and commercial responses.
Are curtailment events compensated? What are the challenges?
System operators determine eligibility and calculate compensable losses, but only a subset of situations qualify. Producers often face uncertainty due to gaps in timely, accurate data and complex filing requirements.
Delfos connection: Delfos improves data readiness with clean operational records and automates the calculations needed to support compensation claims.
How can producers calculate curtailment losses accurately?
Accurate loss calculation requires reliable operational data, clear identification of curtailment intervals, and standardized methods to convert constrained energy into monetary impact.
Delfos connection: Delfos’ Compensation Tools compute curtailed energy and related losses with audit-ready evidence, streamlining submission to system operators.
What data should I collect to justify unmet targets due to curtailment?
- High-quality SCADA and performance indicators for the curtailed periods
- Event logs showing constrained-off instructions and timing
- Cleaned, validated datasets for claims and internal reporting
Delfos connection: Delfos’ Data Quality Assurance continuously monitors integrity, ensuring the data you submit is complete, consistent, and defensible.
How does Delfos’ real-time monitoring reduce curtailment impact?
Delfos provides integrated, real-time monitoring of asset conditions and key KPIs. Teams can immediately spot anomalies, confirm curtailment windows, and take corrective actions that minimize avoidable losses and operational blind spots.
What is “frustrated energy” and how does Delfos manage it?
Frustrated energy is generation that could have been delivered but wasn’t due to curtailment. Managing it requires transparent tracking and clear justification of lost energy.
Delfos connection: Delfos delivers detailed reporting and analytics to identify, quantify, and justify frustrated energy, improving asset efficiency and stakeholder communication.
Which Delfos tools specifically support compensation claims?
- Data Quality Assurance: Continuous integrity checks to avoid claim disputes.
- Compensation Tools: Precise curtailed-energy and loss calculations with transparent methodology.
- Centralized Evidence: Consolidated event timelines and KPIs for efficient submission.
How do Delfos solutions improve O&M efficiency under curtailment?
By unifying monitoring, data quality, loss calculation, and reporting, Delfos helps O&M teams separate true curtailment from performance issues, justify underperformance, and focus maintenance where it moves the needle.
What are the main curtailment challenges and how does Delfos address them?
How can I see Delfos in action for my sites?
Request a personalized demonstration to review your curtailment profile, loss calculations, and reporting workflows—and learn how Delfos can convert curtailment challenges into operational and financial improvements.
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