Where to put a wind farm
Gemma Church finds out how simulation software aids and optimises the decisions behind siting a wind farm
structures, and how to optimise their power output, is based on a vast range of variables. Te first requirement is to find a site with a
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suitable wind profile. Te site’s suitability must also be assessed in terms of its vicinity to the power grid and geography. Ten, finally, the wind farm must be optimised to maximise the power output and minimise expenditure. Simulation soſtware is perfectly suited to aid engineers as they evaluate, design, and build wind farms within tight budgetary, environmental, and feasibility parameters. Wind forecasting is a key consideration. Te
terrain, wind directions, weather, and a wide range of additional factors must all be taken into account to make wind profile projections. A common technique when siting wind
turbines is to place them at the summit of a steep hill or close to ridges that overlook the surrounding landscape. However, complex
30 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD
ind turbines are popping up all over the planet. From massive offshore wind farms to single turbines, the choice of where to put these
terrain modelling is oſten required to eliminate the risk of wind flow separation, which will produce excessive turbulence. Such turbulence could damage the turbine, so it is set to shut down automatically if the conditions are considered too hazardous. Rough ground, or unusual local conditions,
can also result in turbulence. Tis disturbs the airflow, preventing efficient operation and causing wear and tear on the turbine. One method of gauging site suitability and
forecasting wind is to construct a met mast. Tis temporary structure is set up at the potential site and gathers data on the conditions, including strength and direction of wind, over an 18-month to two-year period. Tis data is fed into the simulation to predict whether a site is suitable in terms of how much power the proposed farm is capable of producing. Met masts collect a huge amount of data
and, as the survey sites can be quite large, multiple masts or alternative equipment, such as anemometers, are sometimes required. Graham Dudgeon, principal industry manager for utilities
and energy at MathWorks, said: ‘Te customers have to ensure they are putting in the right number of devices to determine how that site might perform if a wind farm was there. It is very much a big data and data analytics problem.’ Simulation soſtware uses one of two general
methods to analyse such data and determine a site’s suitability. Te first relies on general approximations, to provide a quick analysis of the total power the wind farm can produce. Such simple simulations are quicker and
cheaper to produce, compared with more in-depth analysis, but this could be a false investment for companies looking to construct large, costly wind farms. It all comes down to the level of accuracy the
customer requires, as Jim Ryan, energy and power industry director at CD-adapco, explained: ‘It is always a judgment call for engineers and their companies to decide how much fidelity you need in your simulation projections. If a 10 or 20 per cent error is acceptable – and it may be if you just want a ballpark idea – then that’s acceptable. But if you want to go beyond that, then you need to consider investing more time and money in the simulation soſtware and the hardware involved.’ CD-adapco’s STAR-CCM+ soſtware was used
recently to design the layout of a 43-turbine wind farm in Northern Germany, to maximise
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