Research into the best ways to arrange wind turbines has produced staggering results — quite literally.
The University of Delaware’s Cristina Archer and her Atmosphere and Energy Research Group found that staggering and spacing out turbines in an offshore wind farm can improve performance by as much as 33 percent.
“Staggering every other row was amazingly efficient,” said Archer, associate professor of physical ocean science and engineering and geography in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.
The findings, which appeared last month in Geophysical Research Letters, could help engineers plan improved offshore wind farms.
The researchers used an existing offshore wind farm near Sweden as the basis for their study, comparing the existing tightly packed, grid-like layout to six alternative configurations. In some, they kept the turbines in neat rows but spaced them farther apart. In others, they shifted the alignment of every other row, similar to how rows of theatre seats are staggered to improve the views of people further back.
In computer-intensive simulations that each took weeks to run, the team took into account the eddies, or swirls of choppy air, that wind turbines create downwind as their blades spin — and how that air movement would impact surrounding turbines.
They found that the most efficient arrangement was a combination of two approaches. By both spacing the turbines farther apart and staggering the rows, the improved layout would decrease losses caused by eddies and improve overall performance by a third.
The optimal configuration had the rows oriented to face the prevailing wind direction, for example from the southwest in the summer along the U.S. East Coast. Most locations, however, have more than one dominant direction from where wind blows throughout the year. The optimal configuration for a season may not be optimal in another season, when the prevailing wind changes direction and intensity.
Considering these various factors could better inform where and how to configure future offshore wind farms, Archer explained.
“We want to explore all these trade-offs systematically, one by one,” she said.
The study is part of Archer’s overall research focus on wind and applications for renewable energy production. Trained in both meteorology and engineering, she uses weather data and complex calculations to estimate the potential for wind as a power source.
Last year, Archer and colleague Mark Jacobson of Stanford University found that wind turbines could power half the world’s future energy demands with minimal environmental impact.
In a follow-up to that study, Archer and Jacobson examined how worldwide wind energy potential varies seasonally. They found that in most regions where wind farms could feasibly be built on land and offshore, capacity is greatest from December to February.
However, even factoring in seasonal variability, the researchers found there is enough wind to cover regional electricity demand.
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Wind turbines
- Northeast Oklahoma residents organize against wind turbines
More than 50 turbines are planned for construction beginning in 2028. “Just like the chicken houses, this is bringing people together,” said Delaware County resident Emily Oakley.
- Solar Is Leaving Wind In The Dust As World Renewable Energy Hits New High
In 2000, renewable energy (i.e. solar and wind) made up less than 19% of the global energy mix. Today, they make up more than 30%.
- The answer to AI’s energy needs could be blowing in the wind
Data centers and offshore wind farms could prove to be a perfect pair as AI grows increasingly energy-hungry. Many of the companies racing to roll out new generative AI tools have also made big ...
- Wind turbine manufacturers see record year driven by growth in home markets
GW of new capacity last yea . Wind turbine manufacturers see record year driven by growth in home markets . wind Utilities ...
- Why US offshore wind power is struggling – the good, the bad and the opportunity
Two new wind farms began producing power in 2024, but several canceled contracts have left a dark cloud over the industry. A wind power expert explains why US offshore wind has been slow to scale up.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Wind turbines
[google_news title=”” keyword=”wind turbines” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Turbine arrangement
- wind turbines
How the end of a major tax incentive may impact wind energy The amount of wind energy in the United States has more than doubled since 2011. It’s gotten a big boost from a federal incentive ...
- The Wild Tomahawk Internal Combustion Turbine Engine Could Dramatically Chop Fuel Use and Emissions
Now, inventor Reggie Huff is proposing another riff on the rotary concept: the Tomahawk TX Trick-Cycle Turbine engine. As with the Omega, it’s been optimized for aerospace use in a ducted-fan ...
- Wind Energy News
Machine Learning Enables Viability of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines Apr. 3, 2024 — Researchers have used a genetic learning algorithm to identify optimal pitch profiles for the blades of vertical ...
- MWRA sues company after blade tip flew off wind turbine on Deer Island last year
BOSTON (WHDH) - The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is filing a safety suit against the company it hired to do maintenance on a wind turbine on Deer Island after a tip of a blade flew off ...
- Siemens Gamesa wind turbine loses 22-ton blade in Norway
COPENHAGEN, April 11 (Reuters) - A Siemens Gamesa wind turbine blade weighing 22 metric tons fell off the machinery on Wednesday but no one was hurt, the Odal Vind wind farm in Norway said ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Turbine arrangement
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Turbine arrangement” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]