Wind Energy Science
Wind Energy Science
WES
Articles | Volume 11, issue 7
Articles | Volume 11, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-2695-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-2695-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 11, issue 7
Research article
 | 
28 Jul 2026
Research article |  | 28 Jul 2026

A numerical study of the influence of terrain on wakes, blockage, wind farm efficiency, and turbine efficiency

James Bleeg and Christiane Montavon

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Cited articles

Allaerts, D. and Meyers, J.: Sensitivity and feedback of wind-farm-induced gravity waves, J. Fluid Mech., 862, 990–2028, https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2018.969, 2019. 
Baines, P. G.: Topographic Effects in Stratified Flow, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108673983, 2022. 
Bastankhah, M., Mohammadi, M. M., Lees, C., Diaz, G. P. N., Buxton, O. R. H., and Ivanell, S.: A fast-running physics-based wake model for a semi-infinite wind farm, J. Fluid Mech., 985, A43, https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2024.282, 2024. 
Bayron, P., Kelso, R., and Chin, R.: Experimental study on the evolution of wind turbine wake under streamwise pressure gradients, Energ. Convers. Manage.  X, 20, 100479, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2023.100479, 2023. 
Bleeg, J. and Montavon, C.: Blockage effects in a single row of wind turbines, J. Phys, Conf. Ser., 2265, 022011, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2265/2/022001, 2022. 
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Numerical simulations of 35 different combinations of terrain, wind farm layout, and atmospheric conditions indicate that terrain (i.e., ground elevation variation) can significantly influence wind farm flows and in turn energy extraction efficiency. An analysis of the simulation results identifies the main drivers behind these terrain effects. These influences should be accounted for when estimating the energy yield of a planned wind farm – at least for wind farms similar to those in this study.
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