Optimization of wind turbine micro-siting for reducing the sensitivity of power generation to wind direction

In the optimization of wind turbine micro-siting of wind farms, the major target is to maximize the total energy yield. But considering from the aspect of the power grid, the sensitivity of wind power generation to varying incoming wind direction is also an essential factor. However, most existing optimization approaches on wind turbine micro-siting are focused on increasing the total power yield only. In this paper, by employing computational fluid dynamics and the virtual particle model for the simulation of turbine wake flow, a sensitivity index is proposed to quantitatively evaluate the variation of power generation under varying wind direction. Typical turbine layouts obtained by existing power optimization approaches are evaluated for stability. Results indicate that regularly arranged turbine layouts are not suitable for stable power production. Based on solutions from the power optimization, a second-stage optimization using Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is presented. The proposed optimization method adjusts the positions of the turbines locally, aiming at increasing the stability of wind farm power generation without damaging its advantage of high power yield. Case studies on flat terrain and complex terrain both demonstrate the effectiveness of the present local adjustment optimization method.