AWS Truepower said it is updating its Deep-Array Wake Model (DAWM) because new modeling shows deep array wake effect can occur in onshore as well as offshore wind projects. Previous research said only offshore wind projects were affected and did not take into consideration offshore developments with multiple rows of turbines.
The deep-array wake results from the cumulative drag imposed by so-called deep turbine arrays on the planetary boundary layer, the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
AWS Truepower's effort indicates that onshore projects are also susceptible to the issue and should be analyzed using the most up-to-date models.
"With developers planning larger and larger wind projects, it is critical that models estimate wake losses as accurately as possible," said Michael Brower, Chief Technical Officer at AWS Truepower. "AWS Truepower's DAWM accomplishes this by representing the cumulative drag induced by individual turbines as internalboundary layers, which grow and merge as they propagate downstream."
AWS Truepower compared DAWM to turbine production and wind data from five on- and offshore wind projects. "We were pleased to learn that, after some modifications, the model behaves in a physically consistent manner across a variety of projects," said Nicholas Robinson, Director of openWind, who led the research and software development.
