Wind turbines design corrections for next Galicia climatic conditions

Abstract

Galicia, placed in northwest of Spain, is a clear example of global wind energy development as a consequence of its climate conditions. Despite this fact, previous research works have indicated a climate change in the next years that must be considered at the time of wind turbine design, selection, and placement. In this work, information about weather conditions and power output from twenty four wind turbines was sampled in a typical year, and a statistic study was done. Based on this information, a model that relates weather to power conversion in this particular region and wind turbines model was obtained. This particular procedure lets us define the effect of climate change over wind power on Galician wind farms. Results showed a 10% power output fall during spring and summer seasons. Therefore, future studies about new technologies that work out well under those conditions, such as low wind turbines, must be done. At the same time, results can be employed for future wind turbines placement optimization. Finally, nowadays, there is no standard or procedure to consider this highly complex situation, and so the present work aims to be the initial guide.