The campaign consisted of measurements collected from four short range, nacelle mounted LIDAR (light detection and ranging) devices on two turbines, two scanning pulsed LIDARs on the meteorological mast and the substation as well as 3D sonic anemometers fitted to the meteorological met mast. The dataset collected is unprecedented in its size, richness and level of insight it provides to the industry.
The campaign objective was to measure the flow field inside a large offshore wind farm to enable more detailed validation of wake effects models, which will help reduce the cost of energy through improved wind farm design and efficiency.
The OWA partners are now inviting organisations to register their interest in continuing specific areas of research that will deliver material value the industry, which include; wind shear, turbine controls, mesoscale and coastal effects, wake modelling validation and improvement, wake meandering, turbulence fatigue and asset lifetimes.
Megan Smith, Programme Manager, Wake Effects and Wind Resource for the OWA at the Carbon Trust commented: “This is a unique opportunity for research bodies to gain access to a data set with huge potential. The OWA partners are greatly looking forward to working with interested parties to explore more avenues of research to further understand and exploit the data from this campaign.”
A number of highlights have emerged following the analysis including:
- The detailed profiles of wind turbine wakes, in three dimensions
- How these wakes interact in a large, complex wind farm
- How well wake effects models perform outside the range of conditions where they can normally be validated
- How atmospheric stability, turbulence and fetch interact near-shore to drive changes in energy yield
- How wakes meander in the presence of a turbulent wind
- How well various models capture each of these processes
Implementation was led by E.ON, Oldbaum Services, Leosphere and Avent under guidance from the Carbon Trust and other OWA partners. Frazer-Nash Consultancy was selected to advise on the technical aspects of the campaign configuration to ensure the data would meet the campaign objectives set by the OWA partners.
Jörgen Bodin, Director of Technology & Innovation at E.ON Next Generation said: “E.ON is strongly committed to the continuous improvement of offshore wind energy. We are confident this rich dataset, in the hands of the world’s most capable players, can further advance the whole industry.”
Neil Adams, who led the analysis at Frazer-Nash Consultancy, commented: “This is a unique dataset, unprecedented in the offshore wind sector. It has been a pleasure to work with the Carbon Trust and E.ON to capture and process this data, and I’m delighted to see it being exploited more widely to further the industry.”
Set up in 2008, the main goal of the OWA programme is to reduce the cost of offshore wind by at least 10 percent in time for Round 3 through innovation in six key areas including Access Systems, Cable Installation, Electrical Systems, Foundations and Wake Effects and Wind Resource, and, through the OWA’s ancillary offshore renewables joint industry project (the ORJIP), Environment.
For more information please click here.
Completed Expression of Interest questionnaires must be submitted by 17:00 GMT on the 8th September 2015.
ENDS
For further information please contact Ainslie Macleod, PR Manager, at the Carbon Trust press office on 020 7170 7050 or email Ainslie.macleod@carbontrust.com.
About the Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is an independent company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. The Carbon Trust:
- advises businesses, governments and the public sector on opportunities in a sustainable, low-carbon world;
- measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organisations, products and services;
- helps develop and deploy low-carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power
