Solutions / Engineering guide
Load Profiles for Small Wind Power: kW, kWh & Timing
A wind-power assessment needs a clear description of the electricity the site uses. Build that description from meter records, operating schedules and load groups before comparing it with generation, storage or backup. Keep energy use and short-duration power requirements visible as different inputs.
Describe when power is needed, not just the annual total.
A load file should explain its measurement boundary, time convention and missing records. Those details determine which supply comparisons the file can support.
01 / Measurement boundary
Decide which loads the profile includes.
Name the meter or supply point and list the equipment downstream of it.
Name the meter or supply point and list the equipment downstream of it. Identify any existing solar, wind, generator or storage equipment that changes the reading. A utility-import file may describe purchased electricity after local generation, rather than the site’s full consumption.
Keep the chosen boundary consistent through the assessment. Record changes in equipment or operating schedules during the data period. If several meters are combined, state which loads overlap and how timestamps align, so demand is not counted twice.
02 / Power & energy
Distinguish interval energy from interval-average power.
EIA’s electricity-unit explanation distinguishes power in kW from energy in kWh.
EIA’s electricity-unit explanation distinguishes power in kW from energy in kWh. Where a meter provides energy consumed during an interval, average power for that interval is energy divided by interval hours. A cumulative meter register first needs the difference between successive readings.
Hypothetical example: 3 kWh recorded over half an hour corresponds to 6 kW average demand for that interval. It does not prove that instantaneous demand never exceeded 6 kW. Preserve interval duration and register meaning beside the value rather than renaming every kWh column as kW.
03 / Timing & coverage
Retain the operating pattern behind the total.
Record time zone, interval start or end convention, sampling period and quality flags.
Record time zone, interval start or end convention, sampling period and quality flags. Review weekday, weekend, seasonal and shutdown patterns using the actual data. Mark missing intervals separately from a valid zero load; filling an unknown period with zero understates demand.
Summarize daily energy and the highest recorded interval demand with their dates and interval definitions. Explain whether the record represents normal service, a short campaign or an unusual operating period. Keep an expansion scenario separate from observed consumption rather than editing future demand into the historical file.
04 / Service groups
Identify which demand can move or be interrupted.
Divide the loads into project-defined groups: essential service, interruptible service and tasks that can be rescheduled.
Divide the loads into project-defined groups: essential service, interruptible service and tasks that can be rescheduled. For each, record power, operating duration, allowed interruption and the person approving that classification. A pump or communication load should not be classified from its name alone.
Create both a complete-site profile and the essential-load subset if backup design needs them. Document the expected overlap of tasks. Summing every device nameplate may overstate simultaneous demand, while simply dividing annual kWh by the year’s hours can hide important peaks.
05 / Short events
Use separate evidence for starts and brief peaks.
List equipment with start-up, cyclic or other short-duration demands that the ordinary energy interval may smooth out.
List equipment with start-up, cyclic or other short-duration demands that the ordinary energy interval may smooth out. Obtain the manufacturer or measured event information needed by the electrical designer. Keep duration, frequency and simultaneous-operation assumptions with each event.
Use the motor-starting guide for that separate review. A site can have modest daily energy use and still require significant brief support. Neither an average profile nor a turbine’s rated capacity confirms that the proposed supply can support those events.
06 / Comparison file
Join the demand with the same-period supply data.
Deliver a timestamped demand file, boundary description, load-group register and short-event list.
Deliver a timestamped demand file, boundary description, load-group register and short-event list. Align these with the wind-generation assessment at a common connection boundary. Report surplus and shortfall by interval before treating annual totals as a supply match.
MARSTON’s current wind range covers 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 kW. Selection still requires site evidence and the actual electrical arrangement. The load profile supports a defined enquiry; it does not create a guaranteed wind output, uninterrupted supply or approved load application.
Continue the review with Third-Party Battery Planning for Wind Power Projects.
Continue the review with Wind Power & Backup Generators: Integration Planning.
Continue the review with Wind Power for Motor Loads: Starting & Short-Duration Demand.
General background: EIA: Measuring Electricity. These references explain industry concepts; they are separate from the applicable MARSTON product and project documents.
Prepare the information for this review.
Use the checklist to organise the project information. Mark unavailable items and retain document references.
| Review item | Information to provide | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Demand boundary | Meter point, downstream loads and existing generation | Establish what the values represent. |
| Energy record | Interval or cumulative kWh, duration and time convention | Derive comparable demand values. |
| Service groups | Essential, interruptible and schedulable loads with approval | Define the required supply service. |
| Event evidence | Brief peaks, starts, durations and overlap assumptions | Review demands hidden by interval averages. |
| Comparison pack | Raw data, quality flags, scenarios and aligned generation | Support a reproducible supply assessment. |
Engineering questions.
Can annual electricity consumption size the turbine?
It is one input. Resource timing, useful generation, service priorities and electrical requirements are also needed; a yearly total hides demand peaks and gaps.
Is kWh a power rating?
No. kWh measures energy over time; kW measures power. Preserve both the quantity and its measurement interval.
Can a utility bill represent the complete load?
Check its boundary. Existing on-site generation or storage may make utility-import energy different from actual site consumption.
Can an interval average identify motor-starting demand?
A short event can be smoothed within a longer interval. Obtain separate event information for the responsible electrical designer.
Should missing demand records become zero?
No. Keep missing intervals distinguishable from valid zero consumption and document any reconstruction method.
What should I send for a load-based enquiry?
Send the meter boundary, time series, load priorities, operating changes and short-duration event evidence alongside the proposed site and supply information.
Technical enquiry
Bring your project information to the discussion.
A wind-power assessment needs a clear description of the electricity the site uses. Share the available information and the equipment scope you want reviewed in a technical quotation.