Enhanced wind-farm performance using windbreaks

Liu, L.; Stevens, R.J.A.M.

doi:10.1103/PhysRevFluids.6.074611

Publication 87 · Wind-farm flow

Enhanced wind-farm performance using windbreaks

L. Liu, R.J.A.M. Stevens, Phys. Rev. Fluids 6, 074611 (2021).

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Main finding

Low windbreaks (h/z_h=0.12) increase total six-row farm power by about 10–14% and first-row power by about 20–25% across the tested distances. Intermediate windbreaks (h/z_h=0.24) can produce larger gains at close placement but become strongly distance dependent; high windbreaks (0.36–0.48) often reduce total farm power.

Farm and first-row power against windbreak distance for four windbreak heights — **How to read the figure.** Power relative to the case without windbreaks, against the windbreak's distance upstream. (a) Whole-farm power; (b) first-row power. The lowest windbreak raises farm power by roughly 10-15% at every distance tested, while the two tallest reduce it. Intermediate heights gain most at close placement and fall away as distance grows. Open the full-resolution figure. Figure 5. L. Liu and R.J.A.M. Stevens (2021). No separate licence is stated here; consult the original publication and credited source before reuse.

Why this matters

Supports conditional finite-farm gains from low porous barriers and rejects single-turbine optimization as sufficient.

Research context

Whole-farm benefit occurs only when local acceleration and favorable pressure transport exceed the windbreak wake, drag, dissipation, and altered vertical flux over the finite domain.

Coverage of this research

APS Physics — Windbreaks May Improve Wind Farm Power, 30 July 2021. Feature on the windbreak simulations by Luoqin Liu and Richard Stevens.
Science News — Windbreaks, surprisingly, could help wind farms boost power output, 10 August 2021. Science reporting on the same windbreak study.

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