The Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) claims that its Active Wake Control system can increase wind turbine electricity production by 0.5 to 5 per cent, and lower the maintenance costs by 3 pct.
ECN has tested its system on 5 wind turbines at its wind farm test site which proved successful.
“The next step is a large wind farm, preferably offshore. That is not a place where you want to experiment, which is why we have waited until the technique had proven itself,” says ECN’s Haico Van der Heijden.
When placed behind each other, the upstream turbine produces 100 percent power, but production of downstream turbines is reduced to 60 or 50 percent while load increases to 110 or 115 per cent and maintenance costs rise proportionally.
By changing the pitch angle and/or the yaw angle of the front turbine a few degrees, the turbulence is deflected/altered, thus reducing the load and increasing the power production of downstream turbines.
[mappress]
Offshore WIND staff, November 15, 2013