A wind farm layout defines the positions in which the wind turbines will be located once the wind farm is built. An iterative process is normally followed, resulting from multiple site analysis, constraint management, and wind speed information.
According to our experience, wind farm developers are advised to perform a detailed site analysis including the assessment of all available mesoscale sources in order to minimize the risk of their investments. Nayxa accumulates an experience of more than 15 years helping wind developers at this stage.
Factors to take into account when designing a wind farm
Mesoscale information on wind speed:
Site wind measurements are not normally available at the first stage of a wind farm development. Therefore, wind developers need to rely on mesoscale information in order to analyze the feasibility of a project and obtain an indication of the expected wind speed.
Mesoscale information on wind direction
Mesoscale data also provide information about the main wind direction which has a major impact in the layout design, as a key factor to minimize the wake effect among the wind turbines. The combination of different mesoscale sources generally improves the accuracy of the results.
Detailed site analysis:
Wind farm developers are advised to carefully analyze other aspects such as accessibility of the site, potential environmental restrictions, power grid proximity or land agreements prior to the development of a wind project.
The importance of carrying out a correct site prospecting
and the preliminary design of a wind farm
An adequate selection of the site for a wind farm is crucial for the success of the project. Nayxa has extensive experience in this field derived from the study of multiple areas, many of which have turned into highly profitable wind energy projects. Experience and know-how are key factors at the first stage of a wind farm development.
Mesoscale information on wind speed and direction is very valuable when site measurements are not available. However, these sources often include important errors in the wind speed results and do not take into account local effects that modify the obtained wind roses. Unrealistic energy predictions can be produced if mesoscale data is not properly analyzed.
Another risk that Nayxa has detected during the first stages of a wind farm development is the presence of an excessive number of wind turbines within the limits of the available land. This fact will result in high wake losses, unrealistic wind farm layouts and lack of confidence from an investor point of view.
Our services for wind farm layout design
Feasibility study of potential zones for wind development.
Since our foundation in the year 2009, Nayxa has developed a very detailed methodology to prospect adequate sites for wind farm developers. We have created in-house tools that allow us to combine and analyze the existing information at the early stage of a wind development.
Prioritization of selected areas for wind farm projects
The different available mesoscale sources normally allow for the selection of several target areas within windy regions. Nayxa incorporates detailed site analysis and the potential affection of known restrictions in order to prioritize those selected areas.
Preliminary layout design and analysis of production based on mesoscale data
At Nayxa, we help wind farm developers, by producing realistic wind farm layouts to comply with the sector quality requirements. Wake losses are always kept under control and energy predictions are derived from available mesoscale sources introducing corrections when necessary.
Specialists in prospecting sites
for wind development
Experience
Nayxa accumulates experience in the site prospecting and wind farm design since its foundation in 2009. Over the years, our team has assisted wind farm developers through the 5 continents and more than 45 countries which has allowed us to generate an important know-how.
GIS experts:
We have specialized through our history in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which is an essential tool to manage the project data needed to design a wind farm layout. Our team also relies on GIS software to prospect and analyze new sites for wind project development.
In-house software
Nayxa has built an own software that assist us in the process of designing the wind farm layouts. This software is embedded within GIS platforms so we can benefit from the advantages of both technologies. Mesoscale wind data is incorporated in order to complete a full site analysis and assist wind developers with this methodology.
FAQ About wind farm layout design
A wind farm layout defines the positions in which the wind turbines will be located once the wind farm is built. An iterative process is normally followed, resulting from multiple site analysis, constraint management, and wind speed information
The different available mesoscale sources normally allow for the selection of several areas within windy regions. Nayxa incorporates detailed site analysis and the potential affection of known restrictions in order to identify valid target areas.
At Nayxa, we help wind farm developers, by producing realistic wind farm layouts to comply with the sector quality requirements. Wake losses are always kept under control and all the existing constraints should be respected.
If you are interested in requesting a request to carry out a wind farm layout design in your wind energy project, do not hesitate to contact our team.
You can contact us at +34 91 241 15 97, send an email to info@nayxa.com or you can leave your data in the contact form here
More About Nayxa:
25 years of experiencie as renewable energy consultants
Specialists in wind measurements
We advise and measure data from the onshore wind farm
We make the roughness maps of your wind farm
