Wind turbine and wind farm wakes

The wind flow properties downstream of a wind turbine are different than upstream. The video introduces the concept of wake, which affects the power production of a farm and the fatigue life of wind turbines. The influence of the separation distance and wind farm size on the propagation of wakes is then discussed. The concept of thermal stratification of the atmosphere is brought to outline how environmental conditions can influence wake recovery. Finally, the lecture shows evidence of long-farm wakes, which can propagate over 50 km downstream of a wind farm.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the lecture, you should be able to:

• Define what are wind turbines and wind farm wakes.
• Outline why wind turbine wakes can lead to reduced energy production.
• Describe how the separation distance between turbines affects wake propagation.
• Explain the influence of the thermal stratification of the atmosphere on wake propagation.

Suggested literature

Was this interesting and you want to learn more? This is a book that takes you a few steps further. You need to have some technical insight in order to enjoy it, but it does not need to be from offshore wind energy:

Anderson, C. (2020). Wind turbines: Theory and practice. Cambridge University Press.