Linear and nonlinear models in wind resource assessment and wind turbine micro-siting in complex terrain

• Published in: Journal of wind engineering and industrial aerodynamics Vol. 96; no. 12; pp. 2308 - 2326
• Main Authors: Palma, J.M.L.M., Castro, F.A., Ribeiro, L.F., Rodrigues, A.H., Pinto, A.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2008; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Buildings. Public works; Cliffs; Climatology and bioclimatics for buildings; Computational fluid dynamics; Energy; Energy use; Exact sciences and technology; Mathematical models; Natural energy; Nonlinearity; Sonic anemometers; Turbine micro-siting; Wind energy; Wind energy engineering; Wind power generation; Wind turbines; Wind energy engineering; Computational fluid dynamics; Turbine micro-siting; 47.27.Eq; 47.27.Jv; 47.27.Nz; 47.85.Gj; 89.30.Ee; 92.60.Fm; 92.60.Gn; 42.68.Bz; 89.30.-g; 47.32.Ff; 47.11.+j; Wind; Experimental method; Wind generator; Linear model; Wind energy; Site selection; Complex terrain; Mathematical model; Turbulence; Aerodynamics; Measurement in situ; Three dimensional model; Experimental result; Non linear model
• ISSN: 0167-6105; 1872-8197
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jweia.2008.03.012

The current trend of increasing the electricity production from wind energy has led to the installation of wind farms in areas of greater orographic complexity, raising doubts on the use of simple, linear, mathematical models of the fluid flow equations, so common in the wind energy engineering. The present study shows how conventional techniques, linear models and cup anemometers, can be combined with flow simulation by computational fluid dynamics techniques (nonlinear models) and measurements by sonic anemometers, and discuss their relative merits in the characterisation of the wind over a coastal region—a cliff over the sea. The computational fluid dynamic techniques were particularly useful, providing a global view of the wind flow over the cliff and enabling the identification of separated flow regions, clearly unsuitable for installation of wind turbines. These locations display a pulsating flow, with periods between 1 and 7min, in agreement with sonic anemometer measurements, and both a turbulence intensity and a gust factor well above the wind turbine design conditions.