A novel integrated approach for offshore wind power optimization

When an offshore wind farm is designed, the available ocean space limits the overall farm's output. Consequently, over the last few decades, the density of turbines has increased, which in turn intensified the aerodynamic interactions between the turbines. The interaction is a consequence of the farm layout, which is affected by the macro siting and micro siting optimization concerns. However, existing optimization approaches cannot satisfy the complicated offshore condition. To provide a more competitive cost, this paper proposes an advanced optimization approach that combines fluid mechanics methods and mathematical models to analyze the optimal array layout of large offshore wind farms. First, to obtain the maximum power generation, we propose an integrated interference model to describe the aerodynamic interaction between any two adjacent turbines. Second, we study the changing relation of the layout of wind turbines and the power generation of the system. Third, we investigate three different scenarios with aligned and staggered layouts under different wind conditions. We also perform an extensive sensitivity analysis on the influence of the occurrence probabilities of multiple prevailing wind directions on the power efficiency of wind farms. Finally, we suggest some policies to support the market development.