Automatic grouping of wind turbine types via multi-objective formulation for nonuniform wind farm layout optimization using an analytical wake model

Abstract

This study introduces a novel methodology that aims to minimize the number of different wind turbine types used in nonuniform wind farms. This approach involves a trade-off to tackle the logistical challenges associated with installing, operating, and maintaining such wind farms. To accomplish this, a Gaussian analytical wake model is used in conjunction with evolutionary algorithms (NSGA-II and SMS-EMOA) for multi-objective optimization. A multi-objective problem is formulated, regarding wind farm capacity factor (CF) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and addressed using two distinct approaches. In the first approach, proposed here, the number of different wind turbine types is limited and treated as an additional objective. In contrast, the second approach allows for flexibility in choosing any number of different turbine types. Comparing the results obtained, it was observed that the methodology presented here yielded a reduced number of different turbine types without compromising CF and LCOE objectives. A multi-criteria decision maker was applied to extract the final non-dominated solutions from the obtained Pareto set. Finally, economic indicators show the profitability of these solutions.