Summary
Details
- Global
IEC 61400-25 is intended for any stakeholder involved in the operation, integration, or digital management of wind power plants, enabling consistent data exchange across systems and vendors. This includes wind farm operators, owners, and manufacturers, as well as SCADA and software providers.
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Introduction
IEC 61400-25 forms part of the broader IEC 61400 series for wind energy systems, focusing specifically on communication and data exchange rather than turbine design. The IEC 61400-25 series was first published in 2006, establishing a standardised framework for communication and data exchange in wind power plants.
It establishes a structured framework for modelling wind power plant data, defining communication services, and mapping these to standard protocols. The approach builds on related IEC standards such as IEC 61850, extending them to wind-specific applications and enabling consistent data exchange across multi-vendor environments.
What IEC 61400-25 Defines
IEC 61400-25 is structured around a set of core modelling and communication principles:
Information modelling - A standardised representation of wind power plant components (e.g. turbines, electrical systems), ensuring consistent data semantics.
Information exchange services -Defined service models specify how data is accessed, updated, and transmitted between systems.
Protocol mapping - The standard maps its models to communication protocols such as IEC 61850, OPC/XML, and DNP3 for practical implementation.
Vendor-independent interoperability - By harmonising naming and data structures, it enables integration across equipment from different manufacturers.
System-level scope - Applies to wind turbines, meteorological systems, electrical infrastructure, and plant management systems, while excluding internal component communication.
Modular structure - The standard is divided into multiple parts (e.g. principles, models, testing), each addressing a specific aspect of communication architecture.
Status and Outlook
IEC 61400-25 remains an active and evolving standard. A 2017 update, IEC 61400-25-1 refined the overall communication framework. The revision clarified the separation between information models, information exchange services, and protocol mappings, and aligned terminology and structures with other parts of the IEC 61400-25 series and related IEC standards.
More recent developments include extensions and technical specifications (e.g. Part 25-71 in 2019) and ongoing maintenance processes that collect and resolve implementation issues (“TISSUES”) to improve interoperability.
The modular structure allows incremental updates rather than full overhauls, supporting continued relevance as wind power plants become more digitalised and integrated into broader energy systems.
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