Multi-criteria optimization of wind farm layout for WAsP application

Abstract

This paper presents model for optimal wind farm layout design. The proposed model takes several criteria into account. Wake effect and topography of the terrain have great influence on wind speed distribution over the available area. Using WAsP possibility to analyze realistic exploitation conditions including a complex terrain flow model, a roughness change model and a model for sheltering obstacles, wake effect and topography of the terrain models are created. Very important tasks of practical wind farm designing are analyzing land in the available area and impact of wind farm on the environment. Parts of the available area with better contracts of sale or lease have priority for turbines siting over the other parts. Siting turbines within these subareas would result in investment and maintenance cost savings. Some turbines, sited near populated area, may have to work with reduced power or to be shut down during night in order to eliminate noise. Moving shadows, created by turbines during sunny days, may cause psychological discomfort with some people and thereby have the same consequences on energy production as noise effect. These, restricted, positions have lower priority for turbines siting than the others. The priority model is proposed to address these effects. Applying the proposed models to realistic available area in Serbia, using genetic algorithm, optimal wind turbine positions are obtained.