Researchers develop innovative model that could transform the future of wind farms: 'Immediate and direct potential for impact'

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new physics-based model of airflow around rotors that could help optimize both turbine and wind farm design.

Just as a boat cutting through water leaves a wake behind it, wind turbines affect the downstream flow of air, which can then reduce the efficiency of subsequent turbines in grouped installations. 

Now, as Renewable Energy Magazine reported, MIT researchers have nailed down the physics behind the airflow to help existing wind farms get the most out of their setup and inform new installations on optimal layouts.  

"We've developed a new theory for the aerodynamics of rotors," Michael Howland, an MIT assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, shared in the report. 

"This theory can be used to determine the forces, flow velocities, and power of a rotor, whether that rotor is extracting energy from the airflow, as in a wind turbine, or applying energy to the flow, as in a ship or airplane propeller. The theory works in both directions."

He added, "It has immediate and direct potential for impact across the value chain of wind power." 

Previously, wind turbine power output was only calculated through empirical corrections, such as through observation and experience, as Howland noted in the report. He stated that "there was no theory for it," but now the work at MIT provides details on "how you should actually operate a wind turbine to maximize its power." 

Studies done at Stanford University back in 2019 showed that turbine wakes can result in a 40% loss of efficiency in downstream generators, but angling the lead turbine slightly can make a drastic difference.  

"Through wake steering, the front turbine produced less power as we expected," mechanical engineering PhD student Michael Howland, lead author of the study, shared in a press release. "But we found that because of decreased wake effects, the downstream turbines generated significantly more power."

In 2021, the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed FAST.Farm, an open-source modeling tool to predict power and performance under structural loads on wind farms. 

The unified momentum model, as the MIT engineers are calling their new theory, exists as a set of mathematical formulas that can be plugged into open-source software tools to improve on existing methods, according to the report. 

"It's an engineering model developed for fast-running tools for rapid prototyping and control and optimization," Howland shared. 

"The goal of our modeling is to position the field of wind energy research to move more aggressively in the development of the wind capacity and reliability necessary to respond to climate change."

Although sustainable solar power is growing at a fantastic rate globally, wind power is still the largest renewable source of energy, at least in the U.S., accounting for 10% of the country's supply.

Getting the most out of these clean energy sources can assist us in reaching our net-zero goals by 2050. They help to reduce planet-warming gases, improve air quality, create new jobs, and lower utility costs. 

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