Maximum wind power plant generation by reducing the wake effect

Abstract

This paper analyses, from a steady state point of view, the potential benefit of a Wind Power Plant (WPP) control strategy whose main objective is to maximise its total energy yield over its lifetime by taking into consideration that the wake effect within the WPP varies depending on the operation of each wind turbine. Unlike the conventional approach in which each wind turbine operation is optimised individually to maximise its own energy capture, the proposed control strategy aims to optimise the whole system by operating some wind turbines at sub-optimum points, so that the wake effect within the WPP is reduced and therefore the total power generation is maximised. The methodology used to assess the performance of both control approaches is presented and applied to two particular study cases. It contains a comprehensive wake model considering single, partial and multiple wake effects among turbines. The study also takes into account the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory to accurately compute both power and thrust coefficient of each wind turbine. The results suggest a good potential of the proposed concept, since an increase in the annual energy captured by the WPP from 1.86% up to 6.24% may be achieved (depending on the wind rose at the WPP location) by operating some specific wind turbines slightly away from their optimum point and reducing thus the wake effect. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.