Wind Farm Curtailment Optimisation 

Why curtail wind farms?

With the increasing density of wind turbine development and the requirement to account for cumulative developments within wind farm noise limits, it is often the case that the total un-curtailed noise level from a proposed or operational wind farm exceeds its noise limit. The exceedance will usually be limited to specific wind speeds and/or directions. A curtailment strategy will therefore be required such that the wind farm is operated within its noise limits. 

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How is curtailment put in place?  

Wind farm curtailment may comprise placing specific turbines into one of a number of low noise operational modes or switching them off entirely. Low noise mode operation reduces the yield of the turbine.

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The problem

Setting specific turbines into curtailed operation until the noise limit is met may at first glance appear to be a relatively simple process: 

• The turbines closest to the receptor location where the limit must be met will contribute the most to the total turbine noise level. 

• These closest turbines can be simply placed in increasingly curtailed operation mode until the noise limit is met. 

• Alternatively, a larger number of turbines can be placed into a less-curtailed operational mode. 

These approaches, implemented correctly, will be successful in enabling the noise limit(s) to be met at the receptors.

But which approach will give the smallest reduction to the potential maximum yield?

Even small percentage increases in yield can translate into substantial increases in potential revenue.

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The solution  

Accu Acoustics has developed a digital tool to optimise the wind farm curtailment strategy to maximise potential yield. The tool tests multiple potential curtailment strategies simultaneously and ranks them according to the calculated reduction in yield compared to the un-curtailed scenario.

 

The tool can be run to solve the problem for multiple receptor locations, wind speeds and wind directions. We can also work with wind farm developer/operator in-house yield modellers to change the weighting of specific turbines within the tool to prioritise those turbines with the greatest existing/predicted yield.

 

The tool can be rapidly run and re-run to consider many scenarios and can consider potential improvements to existing operational developments as well as new and repowered developments.​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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