When wind turbines were previously commissioned, wind park owners enjoyed the ability to negotiate fixed price power purchase agreements (PPAs). You could build the park, connect it to the grid, and let it run. However, if you previously had been able to negotiate those contracts, they could have ended or will be ending soon. Today, fixed contracts are becoming rarer and less profitable. If you want a fixed price now, you often have to sell your energy at a discount because traders need to account for the risk of negative prices.

This leaves many wind park owners facing a new reality:

• Negative prices: You might actually pay to send electricity to the grid.
• High imbalance costs: Being off-balance with your forecast is increasingly expensive.
• Grid tariff spikes: Sometimes the cost of using the grid exceeds the value of the electricity you produce, especially during high-grid tariff hours when there is increased grid usage.

To stay profitable, you need to be able to turn your wind turbines off when prices drop and participate in balancing markets when demand is high. If you own a legacy wind park or manage a portfolio with mixed turbine brands, you might want to consider taking back more control and monitor and manage your assets more directly. This is where a local EMS becomes more than just a technical addition, it becomes your tool to make your wind turbines profitable again.

Three reasons to implement a local EMS now

1. Optimize your turbine returns with local control

Maximizing the value of wind energy starts with smarter set point management. While the most effective way to improve your ROI is by actively managing imbalance, you can further boost your returns by participating in frequency restoration markets (like aFRR or mFRR)To learn more, read this article about the trading services that the Teleport supports. . A local EMS allows you to:

• Monitor exactly how much energy you are generating;
• Update set points to meet market requirements;
• Stay within set point limits provided by the OEMs.

2. Future-proofing with BESS

As wind-only projects become less financially interesting, adding a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is the logical next step. When energy prices turn negative, wind park owners usually had to pay for imbalance costs, as sending extra energy to the grid might disrupt its balance. A local EMS enables wind asset owners to send that ‘extra’ generated energy to the batteries. Effectively maximizing your existing connection without waiting for grid updates.

A local EMS provides the logic needed to manage these “behind-the-meter” interactions. It links every asset on-site—turbines, batteries, and meters— to ensure the combined output stays within contractual and grid limits, preventing imbalance costs and equipment damage.

3. Cybersecurity and NIS2 compliance

With the energy sector becoming more digital, cybersecurityLearn more about our ‘secure by design’ program. is no longer optional. The NIS2To learn more, we recommend reading this article about our compliance with NIS2. directive means wind park owners—and their partners—must meet strict security standards. Using a monitored, secure gateway ensures you fulfill your part of the bargain without having to overhaul your entire legacy IT infrastructure.