Articles | Volume 7, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1869-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1869-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
13 Sep 2022
Research article |
| 13 Sep 2022
| 13 Sep 2022
Sensitivity analysis of mesoscale simulations to physics parameterizations over the Belgian North Sea using Weather Research and Forecasting – Advanced Research WRF (WRF-ARW)
Adithya Vemuri
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics, von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, Waterloosesteenweg 72, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Boulevard de la Plaine 2, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
SIM vzw, Technologiepark 48, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium
Sophia Buckingham
Department of Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics, von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, Waterloosesteenweg 72, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
Wim Munters
Department of Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics, von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, Waterloosesteenweg 72, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
Jan Helsen
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Boulevard de la Plaine 2, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
Jeroen van Beeck
Department of Environmental and Applied Fluid Dynamics, von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, Waterloosesteenweg 72, 1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode, Belgium
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Konstantinos Vratsinis, Rebeca Marini, Pieter-Jan Daems, Lukas Pauscher, Jeroen van Beeck, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-32, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-32, 2025
Preprint under review for WES
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Using data collected over 13 months at an offshore wind farm, our study shows that a wind turbine’s position within the farm influences its energy output at a given wind speed. Front-row turbines respond differently to similar wind speeds and turbulence than those further back. This finding suggests that current methods for characterizing inflow conditions may not fully capture actual wind behavior, underscoring the need for improved performance analysis techniques.
Jakob Gebel, Ashkan Rezaei, Adithya Vemuri, Veronica Liverud Krathe, Pieter-Jan Daems, Jens Jo Matthys, Jonathan Sterckx, Konstantinos Vratsinis, Kayacan Kestel, Amir R. Nejad, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-173, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-173, 2025
Preprint under review for WES
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A simulation model of a deployed offshore wind turbine was developed using real-world measurement data. The method shows how to obtain, update and validate a simulation model and allows to improve the efficiency and longevity of offshore wind turbines and support operation and maintenance decisions. Simulations were conducted to analyze the effects of turbulence and wind patterns on turbine lifespan, providing insights to improve maintenance planning and reduce operational costs.
Rebeca Marini, Konstantinos Vratsinis, Kayacan Kestel, Jonathan Sterckx, Jens Matthys, Pieter-Jan Daems, Timothy Verstraeten, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-9, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-9, 2025
Preprint under review for WES
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This work evaluated the wind profile in a Belgian offshore zone. The estimated wind profile was made using measurements that allow for reconstruction at heights along the rotor area. The IEC standard defines these profiles as a 1/7th power law, which is proven not to occur 100 % of the time. It is also possible to infer that there will be differences when using different wind profiles for load assessment, as more realistic profiles can lead to a better assessment of the wind turbine's lifetime.
Tsvetelina Ivanova, Sara Porchetta, Sophia Buckingham, Gertjan Glabeke, Jeroen van Beeck, and Wim Munters
Wind Energ. Sci., 10, 245–268, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-245-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-245-2025, 2025
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This study explores how wind and power predictions can be improved by introducing local forcing of measurement data in a numerical weather model while taking into account the presence of neighboring wind farms. Practical implications for the wind energy industry include insights for informed offshore wind farm planning and decision-making strategies using open-source models, even under adverse weather conditions.
Faras Jamil, Cédric Peeters, Timothy Verstraeten, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-114, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-114, 2024
Revised manuscript under review for WES
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A hybrid fault detection method is proposed, which combines physical domain knowledge with machine learning models to automatically detect mechanical faults in wind turbine drivetrain components. It offers detailed insights for experts while giving operators a high-level overview of the machine's health to assist in planning effective maintenance strategies. It was validated on multiple years of wind farm data and the potential faults were accurately predicted, which was confirmed by experts.
Majid Bastankhah, Marcus Becker, Matthew Churchfield, Caroline Draxl, Jay Prakash Goit, Mehtab Khan, Luis A. Martinez Tossas, Johan Meyers, Patrick Moriarty, Wim Munters, Asim Önder, Sara Porchetta, Eliot Quon, Ishaan Sood, Nicole van Lipzig, Jan-Willem van Wingerden, Paul Veers, and Simon Watson
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 2171–2174, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2171-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2171-2024, 2024
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Dries Allaerts was born on 19 May 1989 and passed away at his home in Wezemaal, Belgium, on 10 October 2024 after battling cancer. Dries started his wind energy career in 2012 and had a profound impact afterward on the community, in terms of both his scientific realizations and his many friendships and collaborations in the field. His scientific acumen, open spirit of collaboration, positive attitude towards life, and playful and often cheeky sense of humor will be deeply missed by many.
Simon Daenens, Timothy Verstraeten, Pieter-Jan Daems, Ann Nowé, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-113, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-113, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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This study presents a novel model for predicting wind turbine power output at high temporal resolution in wind farms using a hybrid Graph Neural Network (GNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) architecture. By modeling the wind farm as a graph, the model captures both spatial and temporal dynamics, outperforming traditional power curve methods. Integrated within a Normal Behavior Model (NBM) framework, the model effectively identifies and analyzes power loss events.
Stijn Ally, Timothy Verstraeten, Pieter-Jan Daems, Ann Nowé, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-94, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-94, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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Wind farms play an important role in the energy transition. Unfortunately, the power production of wind farms can fluctuate heavily and depends on many parameters. It is, however, crucial that there is always an equilibrium between electricity production and consumption. Therefore it is important to have accurate power forecasts. This paper presents a methodology, based on machine learning, to generate better farm power forecasts, enabling better scheduling, trading and balancing of wind energy.
Diederik van Binsbergen, Pieter-Jan Daems, Timothy Verstraeten, Amir R. Nejad, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1507–1526, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1507-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1507-2024, 2024
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Wind farm yield assessment often relies on analytical wake models. Calibrating these models can be challenging due to the stochastic nature of wind. We developed a calibration framework that performs a multi-phase optimization on the tuning parameters using time series SCADA data. This yields a parameter distribution that more accurately reflects reality than a single value. Results revealed notable variation in resultant parameter values, influenced by nearby wind farms and coastal effects.
Sara Porchetta, Michael F. Howland, Ruben Borgers, Sophia Buckingham, and Wim Munters
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-58, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-58, 2024
Preprint under review for WES
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This study delves into how hourly and monthly variations of wakes of a newly constructed wind farm cluster impacts adjacent existing farms. Using a simulation of a full year, it compares results from both a numerical weather prediction model and different fast-running engineering models. The results reveal significant differences in wake predictions, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Such insights are important for making informed decisions for the siting and design of future wind turbines.
Xavier Chesterman, Timothy Verstraeten, Pieter-Jan Daems, Ann Nowé, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 893–924, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-893-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-893-2023, 2023
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This paper reviews and implements several techniques that can be used for condition monitoring and failure prediction for wind turbines using SCADA data. The focus lies on techniques that respond to requirements of the industry, e.g., robustness, transparency, computational efficiency, and maintainability. The end result of this research is a pipeline that can accurately detect three types of failures, i.e., generator bearing failures, generator fan failures, and generator stator failures.
Kartik Venkatraman, Trond-Ola Hågbo, Sophia Buckingham, and Knut Erik Teigen Giljarhus
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 85–108, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-85-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-85-2023, 2023
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This paper is focused on the impact of modeling different effects, such as forest canopy and Coriolis forces, on the wind resource over a complex terrain site located near Perdigão, Portugal. A numerical model is set up and results are compared with field measurements. The results show that including a forest canopy improves the predictions close to the ground at some locations on the site, while the model with inflow from a precursor performed better at other locations.
Florian Hammer, Sarah Barber, Sebastian Remmler, Federico Bernardoni, Kartik Venkatraman, Gustavo A. Díez Sánchez, Alain Schubiger, Trond-Ola Hågbo, Sophia Buckingham, and Knut Erik Giljarhus
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2022-114, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2022-114, 2023
Preprint withdrawn
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We further enhanced a knowledge base for choosing the most optimal wind resource assessment tool. For this, we compared different simulation tools for the Perdigão site in Portugal, in terms of accuracy and costs. In total five different simulation tools were compared. We found that with a high degree of automatisation and a high experience level of the modeller a cost effective and accurate prediction based on RANS could be achieved. LES simulations are still mainly reserved for academia.
Amir R. Nejad, Jonathan Keller, Yi Guo, Shawn Sheng, Henk Polinder, Simon Watson, Jianning Dong, Zian Qin, Amir Ebrahimi, Ralf Schelenz, Francisco Gutiérrez Guzmán, Daniel Cornel, Reza Golafshan, Georg Jacobs, Bart Blockmans, Jelle Bosmans, Bert Pluymers, James Carroll, Sofia Koukoura, Edward Hart, Alasdair McDonald, Anand Natarajan, Jone Torsvik, Farid K. Moghadam, Pieter-Jan Daems, Timothy Verstraeten, Cédric Peeters, and Jan Helsen
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 387–411, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-387-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-387-2022, 2022
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This paper presents the state-of-the-art technologies and development trends of wind turbine drivetrains – the energy conversion systems transferring the kinetic energy of the wind to electrical energy – in different stages of their life cycle: design, manufacturing, installation, operation, lifetime extension, decommissioning and recycling. The main aim of this article is to review the drivetrain technology development as well as to identify future challenges and research gaps.
Sara Porchetta, Orkun Temel, Domingo Muñoz-Esparza, Joachim Reuder, Jaak Monbaliu, Jeroen van Beeck, and Nicole van Lipzig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 6681–6700, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6681-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6681-2019, 2019
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Two-way feedback occurs between offshore wind and waves. Using an extensive data set of offshore measurements, we show that the wave roughness affecting the wind is dependent on the alignment between the wind and wave directions. Moreover, we propose a new roughness parameterization that takes into account the dependence on alignment. Using this in numerical models will facilitate a better representation of offshore wind, which is relevant to wind energy and and climate modeling.
Wim Munters and Johan Meyers
Wind Energ. Sci., 3, 409–425, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-409-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-409-2018, 2018
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Wake interactions in wind farms result in power losses for downstream turbines. We aim to mitigate these losses through coordinated control of the induced slowdown of the wind by each turbine. We further analyze results from earlier work towards the utilization of such control strategies in practice. Coherent vortex shedding is identified and mimicked by a sinusoidal control. The latter is shown to increase power in downstream turbines and is robust to turbine spacing and turbulence intensity.
Nikolaos Stergiannis, Jeroen van Beeck, and Mark C. Runacres
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2017-6, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2017-6, 2017
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The development of large-scale wind energy projects has created the demand for increasingly accurate and efficient models that limit a project's uncertainties and risk. Wake effects are of great importance and are relevant for the optimization of wind farms. In the present paper, different Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are investigated and compared with single wake measurements of a wind turbine in a wind tunnel. Results show that CFD can predict the wake effects downstream.
Related subject area
Thematic area: Wind and the atmosphere | Topic: Atmospheric physics
Linking large-scale weather patterns to observed and modeled turbine hub-height winds offshore of the US West Coast
Improving wind and power predictions via four-dimensional data assimilation in the WRF model: case study of storms in February 2022 at Belgian offshore wind farms
Investigating the Relationship between Simulation Parameters and Flow Variables in Simulating Atmospheric Gravity Waves for Wind Energy Applications
Estimating the technical wind energy potential of Kansas that incorporates the effect of regional wind resource depletion by wind turbines
Analyzing the performance of vertical wind profilers in rain events
Large-eddy simulation of an atmospheric bore and associated gravity wave effects on wind farm performance in the Southern Great Plains
Mesoscale weather systems and associated potential wind power variations in a midlatitude sea strait (Kattegat)
A large-eddy simulation (LES) model for wind-farm-induced atmospheric gravity wave effects inside conventionally neutral boundary layers
Simulating low-frequency wind fluctuations
Tropical cyclone low-level wind speed, shear, and veer: sensitivity to the boundary layer parametrization in the Weather Research and Forecasting model
The multi-scale coupled model: a new framework capturing wind farm–atmosphere interaction and global blockage effects
Seasonal variability of wake impacts on US mid-Atlantic offshore wind plant power production
Bayesian method for estimating Weibull parameters for wind resource assessment in a tropical region: a comparison between two-parameter and three-parameter Weibull distributions
Lessons learned in coupling atmospheric models across scales for onshore and offshore wind energy
Investigating the physical mechanisms that modify wind plant blockage in stable boundary layers
Offshore wind energy forecasting sensitivity to sea surface temperature input in the Mid-Atlantic
Lifetime prediction of turbine blades using global precipitation products from satellites
Evaluation of low-level jets in the southern Baltic Sea: a comparison between ship-based lidar observational data and numerical models
Predicting power ramps from joint distributions of future wind speeds
Scientific challenges to characterizing the wind resource in the marine atmospheric boundary layer
Research challenges and needs for the deployment of wind energy in hilly and mountainous regions
Observer-based power forecast of individual and aggregated offshore wind turbines
Ye Liu, Timothy W. Juliano, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Brian J. Gaudet, and Jungmin Lee
Wind Energ. Sci., 10, 483–495, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-483-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-483-2025, 2025
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Our study reveals how different weather patterns influence wind conditions off the US West Coast. We identified key weather patterns affecting wind speeds at potential wind farm sites using advanced machine learning. This research helps improve weather prediction models, making wind energy production more reliable and efficient.
Tsvetelina Ivanova, Sara Porchetta, Sophia Buckingham, Gertjan Glabeke, Jeroen van Beeck, and Wim Munters
Wind Energ. Sci., 10, 245–268, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-245-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-245-2025, 2025
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This study explores how wind and power predictions can be improved by introducing local forcing of measurement data in a numerical weather model while taking into account the presence of neighboring wind farms. Practical implications for the wind energy industry include insights for informed offshore wind farm planning and decision-making strategies using open-source models, even under adverse weather conditions.
Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Dries Allaerts, Simon J. Watson, and Matthew J. Churchfield
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-138, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-138, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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To guide realistic atmospheric gravity wave simulations, we conduct an LES study of flow over a 2D hill and through a wind farm canopy, examining optimal domain size and Rayleigh damping layer setup. Wave properties based on a Froude number determine optimal domain and damping parameters. Reasonably accurate solutions require the domain length exceed the effective horizontal wavelength, height and damping thickness equal a vertical wavelength, and normalized-damping coefficient between 1–10.
Jonathan Minz, Axel Kleidon, and Nsilulu T. Mbungu
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 2147–2169, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2147-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2147-2024, 2024
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Estimates of power output from regional wind turbine deployments in energy scenarios assume that the impact of the atmospheric feedback on them is minimal. But numerical models show that the impact is large at the proposed scales of future deployment. We show that this impact can be captured by accounting only for the kinetic energy removed by turbines from the atmosphere. This can be easily applied to energy scenarios and leads to more physically representative estimates.
Adriel J. Carvalho, Francisco Albuquerque Leite Neto, and Denisson Q. Oliveira
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-132, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-132, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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The wind profilers are very important to wind power industry since they can capture wind velocity and direction at higher altitudes. Although there are some literature investigating their performance in different scenarios, this paper covers a gap investigating and comparing their performance under rain events. This investigation is important since the data collected support strategic decisions in wind power industry, demanding a high availability in all situations.
Adam S. Wise, Robert S. Arthur, Aliza Abraham, Sonia Wharton, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Rob Newsom, Brian Hirth, John Schroeder, Patrick Moriarty, and Fotini K. Chow
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-84, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-84, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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Wind farms can be subject to rapidly changing weather events. In the United States Great Plains, some of these weather events can result in waves in the atmosphere that ultimately affect how much power a wind farm can produce. We modeled a specific event of waves observed in Oklahoma. We determined how to accurately model the event and analyzed how it affected a wind farm’s power production finding that the waves both decreased power and made it more variable.
Jérôme Neirynck, Jonas Van de Walle, Ruben Borgers, Sebastiaan Jamaer, Johan Meyers, Ad Stoffelen, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1695–1711, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1695-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1695-2024, 2024
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In our study, we assess how mesoscale weather systems influence wind speed variations and their impact on offshore wind energy production fluctuations. We have observed, for instance, that weather systems originating over land lead to sea wind speed variations. Additionally, we noted that power fluctuations are typically more significant in summer, despite potentially larger winter wind speed variations. These findings are valuable for grid management and optimizing renewable energy deployment.
Sebastiano Stipa, Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Dries Allaerts, and Joshua Brinkerhoff
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1647–1668, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1647-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1647-2024, 2024
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We introduce a novel way to model the impact of atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) on wind farms using high-fidelity simulations while significantly reducing computational costs. The proposed approach is validated across different atmospheric stability conditions, and implications of neglecting AGWs when predicting wind farm power are assessed. This work advances our understanding of the interaction of wind farms with the free atmosphere, ultimately facilitating cost-effective research.
Abdul Haseeb Syed and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1381–1391, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1381-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1381-2024, 2024
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Wind flow consists of swirling patterns of air called eddies, some as big as many kilometers across, while others are as small as just a few meters. This paper introduces a method to simulate these large swirling patterns on a flat grid. Using these simulations we can better figure out how these large eddies affect big wind turbines in terms of loads and forces.
Sara Müller, Xiaoli Guo Larsén, and David Robert Verelst
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1153–1171, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1153-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1153-2024, 2024
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Tropical cyclone winds are challenging for wind turbines. We analyze a tropical cyclone before landfall in a mesoscale model. The simulated wind speeds and storm structure are sensitive to the boundary parametrization. However, independent of the boundary layer parametrization, the median change in wind speed and wind direction with height is small relative to wind turbine design standards. Strong spatial organization of wind shear and veer along the rainbands may increase wind turbine loads.
Sebastiano Stipa, Arjun Ajay, Dries Allaerts, and Joshua Brinkerhoff
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1123–1152, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1123-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1123-2024, 2024
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This paper introduces the multi-scale coupled (MSC) model, an engineering framework aimed at modeling turbine–wake and wind farm–gravity wave interactions, as well as local and global blockage effects. Comparisons against large eddy simulations show that the MSC model offers a valid contribution towards advancing our understanding of the coupled wind farm–atmosphere interaction, helping refining power estimation methodologies for existing and future wind farm sites.
David Rosencrans, Julie K. Lundquist, Mike Optis, Alex Rybchuk, Nicola Bodini, and Michael Rossol
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 555–583, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-555-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-555-2024, 2024
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The US offshore wind industry is developing rapidly. Using yearlong simulations of wind plants in the US mid-Atlantic, we assess the impacts of wind turbine wakes. While wakes are the strongest and longest during summertime stably stratified conditions, when New England grid demand peaks, they are predictable and thus manageable. Over a year, wakes reduce power output by over 35 %. Wakes in a wind plant contribute the most to that reduction, while wakes between wind plants play a secondary role.
Mohammad Golam Mostafa Khan and Mohammed Rafiuddin Ahmed
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1277–1298, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1277-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1277-2023, 2023
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A robust technique for wind resource assessment with a Bayesian approach for estimating Weibull parameters is proposed. Research conducted using seven sites' data in the tropical region from 1° N to 21° S revealed that the three-parameter (3-p) Weibull distribution with a non-zero shift parameter is a better fit for wind data that have a higher percentage of low wind speeds. Wind data with higher wind speeds are a special case of the 3-p distribution. This approach gives accurate results.
Sue Ellen Haupt, Branko Kosović, Larry K. Berg, Colleen M. Kaul, Matthew Churchfield, Jeffrey Mirocha, Dries Allaerts, Thomas Brummet, Shannon Davis, Amy DeCastro, Susan Dettling, Caroline Draxl, David John Gagne, Patrick Hawbecker, Pankaj Jha, Timothy Juliano, William Lassman, Eliot Quon, Raj K. Rai, Michael Robinson, William Shaw, and Regis Thedin
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1251–1275, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1251-2023, 2023
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The Mesoscale to Microscale Coupling team, part of the U.S. Department of Energy Atmosphere to Electrons (A2e) initiative, has studied various important challenges related to coupling mesoscale models to microscale models. Lessons learned and discerned best practices are described in the context of the cases studied for the purpose of enabling further deployment of wind energy. It also points to code, assessment tools, and data for testing the methods.
Miguel Sanchez Gomez, Julie K. Lundquist, Jeffrey D. Mirocha, and Robert S. Arthur
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1049–1069, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1049-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1049-2023, 2023
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The wind slows down as it approaches a wind plant; this phenomenon is called blockage. As a result, the turbines in the wind plant produce less power than initially anticipated. We investigate wind plant blockage for two atmospheric conditions. Blockage is larger for a wind plant compared to a stand-alone turbine. Also, blockage increases with atmospheric stability. Blockage is amplified by the vertical transport of horizontal momentum as the wind approaches the front-row turbines in the array.
Stephanie Redfern, Mike Optis, Geng Xia, and Caroline Draxl
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1–23, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1-2023, 2023
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As wind farm developments expand offshore, accurate forecasting of winds above coastal waters is rising in importance. Weather models rely on various inputs to generate their forecasts, one of which is sea surface temperature (SST). In this study, we evaluate how the SST data set used in the Weather Research and Forecasting model may influence wind characterization and find meaningful differences between model output when different SST products are used.
Merete Badger, Haichen Zuo, Ásta Hannesdóttir, Abdalmenem Owda, and Charlotte Hasager
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2497–2512, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2497-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2497-2022, 2022
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When wind turbine blades are exposed to strong winds and heavy rainfall, they may be damaged and their efficiency reduced. The problem is most pronounced offshore where turbines are tall and the climate is harsh. Satellites provide global half-hourly rain observations. We use these rain data as input to a model for blade lifetime prediction and find that the satellite-based predictions agree well with predictions based on observations from weather stations on the ground.
Hugo Rubio, Martin Kühn, and Julia Gottschall
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2433–2455, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2433-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2433-2022, 2022
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A proper development of offshore wind farms requires the accurate description of atmospheric phenomena like low-level jets. In this study, we evaluate the capabilities and limitations of numerical models to characterize the main jets' properties in the southern Baltic Sea. For this, a comparison against ship-mounted lidar measurements from the NEWA Ferry Lidar Experiment has been implemented, allowing the investigation of the model's capabilities under different temporal and spatial constraints.
Thomas Muschinski, Moritz N. Lang, Georg J. Mayr, Jakob W. Messner, Achim Zeileis, and Thorsten Simon
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2393–2405, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2393-2022, 2022
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The power generated by offshore wind farms can vary greatly within a couple of hours, and failing to anticipate these ramp events can lead to costly imbalances in the electrical grid. A novel multivariate Gaussian regression model helps us to forecast not just the means and variances of the next day's hourly wind speeds, but also their corresponding correlations. This information is used to generate more realistic scenarios of power production and accurate estimates for ramp probabilities.
William J. Shaw, Larry K. Berg, Mithu Debnath, Georgios Deskos, Caroline Draxl, Virendra P. Ghate, Charlotte B. Hasager, Rao Kotamarthi, Jeffrey D. Mirocha, Paytsar Muradyan, William J. Pringle, David D. Turner, and James M. Wilczak
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2307–2334, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2307-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2307-2022, 2022
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This paper provides a review of prominent scientific challenges to characterizing the offshore wind resource using as examples phenomena that occur in the rapidly developing wind energy areas off the United States. The paper also describes the current state of modeling and observations in the marine atmospheric boundary layer and provides specific recommendations for filling key current knowledge gaps.
Andrew Clifton, Sarah Barber, Alexander Stökl, Helmut Frank, and Timo Karlsson
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2231–2254, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2231-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2231-2022, 2022
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The transition to low-carbon sources of energy means that wind turbines will need to be built in hilly or mountainous regions or in places affected by icing. These locations are called
complexand are hard to develop. This paper sets out the research and development (R&D) needed to make it easier and cheaper to harness wind energy there. This includes collaborative R&D facilities, improved wind and weather models, frameworks for sharing data, and a clear definition of site complexity.
Frauke Theuer, Andreas Rott, Jörge Schneemann, Lueder von Bremen, and Martin Kühn
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2099–2116, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2099-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2099-2022, 2022
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Remote-sensing-based approaches have shown potential for minute-scale forecasting and need to be further developed towards an operational use. In this work we extend a lidar-based forecast to an observer-based probabilistic power forecast by combining it with a SCADA-based method. We further aggregate individual turbine power using a copula approach. We found that the observer-based forecast benefits from combining lidar and SCADA data and can outperform persistence for unstable stratification.
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Short summary
The sensitivity of the WRF mesoscale modeling framework in accurately representing and predicting wind-farm-level environmental variables for three extreme weather events over the Belgian North Sea is investigated in this study. The overall results indicate highly sensitive simulation results to the type and combination of physics parameterizations and the type of the weather phenomena, with indications that scale-aware physics parameterizations better reproduce wind-related variables.
The sensitivity of the WRF mesoscale modeling framework in accurately representing and...
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