As offshore wind development accelerates in the North Sea, understanding how wind farm clusters interact becomes critical for maximizing energy production and minimizing losses. Researchers conducted a comprehensive annual simulation of the planned Belgian Princess Elisabeth (PE) wind farm cluster to quantify its impact on neighboring wind farms in the region.
Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, the study distinguished between two types of wake energy losses: external losses caused by the new PE cluster affecting adjacent farms, and internal losses from turbine-to-turbine interactions within existing wind farm areas. The analysis revealed that external wake losses averaged only 4% annually, a modest figure reflecting the dispersed nature of North Sea winds. However, internal wake losses proved more severe, reaching 42% for the closest adjacent Belgium-Netherlands border farm, particularly affecting centrally located turbines in densely packed layouts.
Atmospheric conditions dramatically influence wake behavior throughout the year. Stable atmospheric stratification—common in winter—produced external wake losses approximately double those occurring during unstable summer conditions. Diurnal variations in external losses correlated directly with changes in atmospheric stability, while seasonal variations reflected shifts in wind direction, wind speed, and stratification patterns. Internal losses showed stronger seasonal than daily patterns.
Interestingly, the new wind farm cluster occasionally produced negative wake losses—meaning power gains—through flow acceleration around the installation. This counterintuitive finding suggests strategic positioning of new clusters could enhance overall regional wind resource capture.
The spatial distribution analysis demonstrated that turbine location significantly affects loss magnitude. Edge turbines experience greater external losses but lower internal losses compared to centrally positioned units. These insights prove valuable for wind farm design, optimal turbine spacing, and operational strategies that account for seasonal and atmospheric variability. The research establishes crucial benchmarks for evaluating simplified engineering models against high-fidelity atmospheric simulations in a companion study.
