PERFECTING WIND

NREL Software Tool a Boon for Wind Industry

Sept. 29, 2014 (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

“Wind energy is…close to achieving cost parity with fossil fuels…[The extra efficiency it needs] may be realized with a software tool built by the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)…called Simulator for Wind Farm Applications (SOWFA)…[I]t can calculate how undulating ground, whipping blades, surface temperatures, and other variables alter the air flow and energy production at wind farms…SOWFA's key innovation is that it simulates an extensive range of scales—from regional weather patterns down to the space between turbines and all the way to the movement of electrons. It gives a complete picture of an active plant, showing how controlling each turbine can influence the direction of the wakes, and detecting the effect on downwind turbines. And it helps researchers understand how local atmospheric conditions affect local wind around the wind farm…

“SOWFA is the first tool that enables developers to improve the performance of not only one wind turbine, but the entire wind farm. And because it is an open-source "community" software platform available for free to academics, investors, wind developers, and manufacturers, users have the support of an online forum where they can discuss problems and solutions with other SOWFA users…” click here for more

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