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Renewable Energy Grant Funds Study of Turbines, TurbulenceJuly 30, 2009 The University of Colorado at Boulder's Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute has awarded a CIRES scientist seed grant funding to conduct wind turbine experiments that could help wind farms become more efficient and reliable. Wind power is projected to be an important component of the country's energy future. At wind farms where many towers are clustered together, turbulence generated by the massive blades can degrade the performance of other windmills by as much as 10-20 percent. The same turbulence can also trigger vibrations in turbines downwind, leading to component fatigue, excess maintenance costs, and premature part failure. CIRES researcher Yelena Pichugina and CIRES Fellow Michael Hardesty, with collaborators at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will gather some of the first high-quality data on turbulence generated by the large turbines. During a two-week period, the group aims to demonstrate how Doppler lidar data from near the surface to several hundred meters high can be used to produce detailed measurements of "wakes" generated by the turbines. The scientists say the information they gather will reduce some of the uncertainty surrounding management of wind resource projects and will establish the basis for more Doppler lidar turbulence experiments in the future. 
The turbines' wake effect is clearly seen at the Horns Rev offshore wind farm in the North Sea west of Denmark. |
