Abstract
Abstract. Wind Farm Layout Optimization Problem (WFLOP) is a critical issue when installing a large wind farm. Many studies have focused on the WFLOP but only for a limited number of turbines and idealized wind speed distributions. In this study, we apply the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to solve the WFLOP for large hypothetical offshore wind farms using real wind data. GA mimics the natural selection process observed in nature, which is the survival of the fittest. The study site is the Palk Strait, located between India and Sri Lanka. This site is a potential hotspot of offshore wind in India. A modified Jensen wake model is used to calculate the wake losses. GA is used to produce optimal layouts for four different wind farms at the specified site. We use two different optimization approaches: one where the number of turbines is kept the same as the thumb rule layout and another where the number of turbines is allowed to vary. The results show that layout optimization leads to large improvements in power generation (up to 28 %), efficiency (up to 34 %), and cost (up to 25 %) compared to the thumb rule due to the reduction in wake losses. Optimized layouts where both the number and locations of turbines are allowed to vary produce better results in terms of efficiency and cost but also leads to lower installed capacity and power generation. Wind energy is growing at an unprecedented rate in India. Easily accessible terrestrial wind resources are almost saturated, and offshore wind is the new frontier. This study can play an important role while taking the first steps towards the expansion of offshore wind in India.
Highlights
The Wind Farm Layout Optimization Problem (WFLOP) is a well-known problem in wind energy meteorology
The simplest solution to WFLOP is the thumb rule widely acknowledged in the industry that proposes a 5–10 rotor diameter spacing along the flow direction to reduce wake effects and increase the power production by each turbine
The objective of this study is to develop optimized layouts for massive offshore wind farms in the Palk Strait along the south-eastern coast of India operating under real-world meteorological conditions
Summary
The Wind Farm Layout Optimization Problem (WFLOP) is a well-known problem in wind energy meteorology. WFLOP is about designing an optimal wind farm layout by finding the optimal locations for the turbines within the wind farm to reduce the wake effects and increase the power production (Yang et al, 2019). The simplest solution to WFLOP is the thumb rule widely acknowledged in the industry that proposes a 5–10 rotor diameter spacing along the flow direction to reduce wake effects and increase the power production by each turbine. State-of-the-art methods to solve the WFLOP use much more complex approaches by accounting for wind speed variability, wind farm area and cost trade-offs. These methods use Calculus-based, Heuristic and Meta-Heuristic approaches. Metaheuristic methods reduce the computing time by drawing lessons from optimization processes occurring in nature (Herbert-Acero et al, 2014). Various metaheuristic methods used in WFLOP studies are Simulated Annealing
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