With the publication of IEC TS 61400-31 “Siting Risk Assessments” , the IEC, the International Electrotechnical Commission, is now for the first time presenting an international guideline for the preparation of icefall and other risk assessments for wind energy projects. Up to now, there have been significantly different approaches and requirements in the preparation of risk assessments for wind farms – both between different countries and between different experts.
IEC TS 61400-31 includes definitions of terms, descriptions of hazard scenarios, methods and approaches as well as individual and collective acceptance criteria. Alexander Stökl, Senior Consultant at Energiewerkstatt and Secretary of the IEC working group, was responsible for the Austrian perspective during the drafting process.
The document is currently written as a “Technical Specification” and is therefore, unlike a standard, not binding. The guideline is available
guideline here (https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/67435)