3 ms·
I think this is efficiency in terms of much energy you can extract for a given area of sea or land. Wake effects mean that wind turbines cannot be placed in a
by 7952 6y ago
I think this is efficiency in terms of much energy you can extract for a given area of sea or land. Wake effects mean that wind turbines cannot be placed in a particular zone downwind of another turbine. If wake effects are lower then you could potentially get a higher density of turbines in a given area. This is something that is already considered in terms of turbine height and placement. Sometimes they are placed at closer intervals along the perimeter of the zone and then lower densities within.
Of course lots of factors are considered with the final "efficiency" being about getting the highest return for an investment.
- brianwawok 6y agoIf land is your dominating cost factor, its how many kw per acre can you generate. So dense circular turbines seem good. If the cost to produce the turbines is the dominating cost factor, and traditional turbines are "cheaper" to build, it could be a win in some cases to use more land with normal wind turbines. The more you spread them, the less problem you have with wake on downstream turbines. Or it could vary based on land value of where you are installing a given plant.
- 7952 6y agoBut land value depends on what you can do with the land. It will always going to be more profitable to build a distribution center or yuppie condo but most sites cannot accommodate that. Wind turbines make sense when a land owner is trying to make more money out of an existing asset. Maybe it is moorland with sheep on it. The wind turbines supplement existing land use and give an extra source of revenue. The developer is competing with other developers. Once they have a land owner on board they will have a certain target they want to hit and will try and get away with as much as possible.