Abstract
Improved quantification of the spatial extent and intensity of wind farm wakes is urgently needed given the rapid pace of expansion of installed capacity both on-and off-shore. We present and analyse long-term, high-resolution simulations of whole wind farm wakes conducted for real-world wind turbine installations performed with the two wind farm parameterizations (EWP and Fitch) designed for use with the Weather Research and Forecasting model. We document differences in the formulation of these two parameterizations and demonstrate their impact on simulated wind farm wakes. Divergence between the schemes in terms of wake spatial extent and magnitude is maximized under low/moderate turbulent kinetic energy (TKE < 0.3 m2s−2) and wind speeds between cut-in and rated (U » 4-12 ms−1). Thus, it is under those conditions that model predictions of the intensity/spatial extent of wind farm wakes are inferred to have highest uncertainty. A framework is introduced based on these simulations that can be used to aid planning for experiments such as AWAKEN. It could be used to identify where and when observational data would be most beneficial in differentiating relative skill of the two parameterizations and identifying areas where modifications to the schemes are necessary to improve fidelity.
Highlights
Total wind turbine installed capacity (IC) in the United States of America (USA) is approximately 106 GW and projections indicate over 44 GW of additional IC either under construction or in advanced development, including over 7 GW of offshore wind [1]
We present and analyse long-term, high-resolution simulations of whole wind farm wakes conducted for realworld wind turbine installations performed with the two wind farm parameterizations (EWP and Fitch) designed for use with the Weather Research and Forecasting model
turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is generally low during winter and there is a marked transition in April to an increased frequency of high TKE values which is sustained through the summer (Figure 5)
Summary
Total wind turbine installed capacity (IC) in the United States of America (USA) is approximately 106 GW (end of 2019) and projections indicate over 44 GW of additional IC either under construction or in advanced development, including over 7 GW of offshore wind [1]. Much of the new development is focussed onshore in areas with substantial existing wind turbine installations [1]. Total European wind turbine IC is approximately 189 GW (as of end of 2018, [2]), with additions of 90 GW projected over the five years [3]. The majority of this growth is anticipated to be onshore in Germany, Spain and the UK which already have high IC [2]. Projected increases in IC both in Europe and the USA are concentrated on areas with substantial existing installed capacity densities (ICD), which implies increasing potential for wind farm-farm interactions
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