Background and current situation
What is the situation regarding wind power production in France?
According to RTE, wind power production in France reached 50.8 TWh in 2023, covering 11.3% of national consumption. In 2024, it fell to 42.8 TWh, mainly due to unfavourable wind conditions.
Source: https://analysesetdonnees.rte-france.com/
What are the major challenges facing the industry?
Like photovoltaics, wind power is exposed to negative prices on the SPOT market, forcing producers to adapt their operations.
Other challenges include:
- Limited growth in installed capacity due to regulatory constraints and sometimes difficult local acceptance.
- An ageing fleet that will require numerous repowering operations in the coming years (replacing old turbines with more efficient models),
Optimisation and forecasting: keys to performance
What levers can be used to optimise wind power production?
Operational efficiency depends on:
- Reliable monitoring tools,
- Increased responsiveness to incidents,
- Strategic energy optimisation by targeting the most profitable periods on the markets.
Why is production forecasting essential?
The volumes of energy produced by wind power are generally higher than those produced by solar power. A wind farm operates at full capacity for around 2,200 hours per year, compared with 1,200 hours for a photovoltaic power plant.
Thus, although installed solar capacity is growing rapidly, wind power retains an advantage in terms of energy volume produced. Hence the importance of accurately forecasting production in order to:
- Anticipate feed-in to the grid,
- Adjust electricity sales on the markets.
What role do weather and data play in this performance?
Weather modelling is a key forecasting tool. For wind power, wind speed is used to estimate expected production levels.
Furthermore, as wind farms are classified as ICPE (Installations Classées pour la Protection de l’Environnement, or Classified Installations for Environmental Protection), the data collected – production, alarms, performance – is crucial for regulatory compliance and communication with the authorities.
Support from S4E SOFTWARE
How does S4E SOFTWARE support wind energy stakeholders?
Since early 2025, S4E SOFTWARE has been offering a monitoring and hypervision solution specifically designed for wind farms. This solution stands out for its ease of deployment and functional efficiency.
How is your approach different?
Our solution is based on several strengths:
- Our teams are highly responsive in developing customised features in response to rapid market changes.
- A Plug & Clear function that enables automatic clearing during periods of negative prices, which is easy to integrate.
Vision and perspective
What place does S4E SOFTWARE occupy in the wind energy market?
With 15 years of experience in solar monitoring, S4E SOFTWARE is a new player committed to driving the wind energy sector forward. We draw on our technical expertise, our close relationship with our customers and our ability to adapt to offer a robust, scalable and relevant solution that meets the demands of the wind energy market.
