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Costs and consequences of wind turbine wake effects arising from uncoordinated wind energy development

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  • J. K. Lundquist

    (University of Colorado Boulder
    National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

  • K. K. DuVivier

    (University of Denver Sturm College of Law)

  • D. Kaffine

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • J. M. Tomaszewski

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

Abstract

Optimal wind farm locations require a strong and reliable wind resource and access to transmission lines. As onshore and offshore wind energy grows, preferred locations become saturated with numerous wind farms. An upwind wind farm generates ‘wake effects’ (decreases in downwind wind speeds) that undermine a downwind wind farm’s power generation and revenues. Here we use a diverse set of analysis tools from the atmospheric science, economic and legal communities to assess costs and consequences of these wake effects, focusing on a West Texas case study. We show that although wake effects vary with atmospheric conditions, they are discernible in monthly power production. In stably stratified atmospheric conditions, wakes can extend 50+ km downwind, resulting in economic losses of several million dollars over six years for our case study. However, our investigation of the legal literature shows no legal guidance for protecting existing wind farms from such significant impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • J. K. Lundquist & K. K. DuVivier & D. Kaffine & J. M. Tomaszewski, 2019. "Costs and consequences of wind turbine wake effects arising from uncoordinated wind energy development," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 26-34, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:4:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41560-018-0281-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-018-0281-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Mai, Trieu & Lopez, Anthony & Mowers, Matthew & Lantz, Eric, 2021. "Interactions of wind energy project siting, wind resource potential, and the evolution of the U.S. power system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    2. Michael F. Howland & John O. Dabiri, 2019. "Wind Farm Modeling with Interpretable Physics-Informed Machine Learning," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-21, July.
    3. Kaffine, Daniel T., 2019. "Microclimate effects of wind farms on local crop yields," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 159-173.
    4. Smith, Steven M., 2021. "The relative economic merits of alternative water right systems," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    5. Gu, Bo & Meng, Hang & Ge, Mingwei & Zhang, Hongtao & Liu, Xinyu, 2021. "Cooperative multiagent optimization method for wind farm power delivery maximization," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    6. Khan, Mehtab Ahmad & Javed, Adeel & Shakir, Sehar & Syed, Abdul Haseeb, 2021. "Optimization of a wind farm by coupled actuator disk and mesoscale models to mitigate neighboring wind farm wake interference from repowering perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    7. Robert Wade & Geraint Ellis, 2022. "Reclaiming the Windy Commons: Landownership, Wind Rights, and the Assetization of Renewable Resources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-31, May.
    8. Russell McKenna & Stefan Pfenninger & Heidi Heinrichs & Johannes Schmidt & Iain Staffell & Katharina Gruber & Andrea N. Hahmann & Malte Jansen & Michael Klingler & Natascha Landwehr & Xiaoli Guo Lars', 2021. "Reviewing methods and assumptions for high-resolution large-scale onshore wind energy potential assessments," Papers 2103.09781, arXiv.org.
    9. Shah Rukh Abbas & Syed Ali Abbas Kazmi & Muhammad Naqvi & Adeel Javed & Salman Raza Naqvi & Kafait Ullah & Tauseef-ur-Rehman Khan & Dong Ryeol Shin, 2020. "Impact Analysis of Large-Scale Wind Farms Integration in Weak Transmission Grid from Technical Perspectives," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-32, October.
    10. Ericson, Sean J. & Kaffine, Daniel T. & Maniloff, Peter, 2020. "Costs of increasing oil and gas setbacks are initially modest but rise sharply," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    11. Abraham, Aliza & Hong, Jiarong, 2020. "Dynamic wake modulation induced by utility-scale wind turbine operation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    12. McKenna, Russell & Pfenninger, Stefan & Heinrichs, Heidi & Schmidt, Johannes & Staffell, Iain & Bauer, Christian & Gruber, Katharina & Hahmann, Andrea N. & Jansen, Malte & Klingler, Michael & Landwehr, 2022. "High-resolution large-scale onshore wind energy assessments: A review of potential definitions, methodologies and future research needs," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 659-684.
    13. Giani, Paolo & Tagle, Felipe & Genton, Marc G. & Castruccio, Stefano & Crippa, Paola, 2020. "Closing the gap between wind energy targets and implementation for emerging countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    14. Harrison-Atlas, Dylan & Murphy, Caitlin & Schleifer, Anna & Grue, Nicholas, 2022. "Temporal complementarity and value of wind-PV hybrid systems across the United States," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P1), pages 111-123.
    15. Coilín ÓhAiseadha & Gerré Quinn & Ronan Connolly & Michael Connolly & Willie Soon, 2020. "Energy and Climate Policy—An Evaluation of Global Climate Change Expenditure 2011–2018," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-49, September.
    16. Lopez, Anthony & Mai, Trieu & Lantz, Eric & Harrison-Atlas, Dylan & Williams, Travis & Maclaurin, Galen, 2021. "Land use and turbine technology influences on wind potential in the United States," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    17. Jackson, Nicole D. & Gunda, Thushara, 2021. "Evaluation of extreme weather impacts on utility-scale photovoltaic plant performance in the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    18. Porchetta, Sara & Muñoz-Esparza, Domingo & Munters, Wim & van Beeck, Jeroen & van Lipzig, Nicole, 2021. "Impact of ocean waves on offshore wind farm power production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 1179-1193.
    19. Cuevas-Figueroa, Gabriel & Stansby, Peter K. & Stallard, Timothy, 2022. "Accuracy of WRF for prediction of operational wind farm data and assessment of influence of upwind farms on power production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PB).
    20. Yildiz, Anil & Mern, John & Kochenderfer, Mykel J. & Howland, Michael F., 2023. "Towards sequential sensor placements on a wind farm to maximize lifetime energy and profit," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    21. Syed, Abdul Haseeb & Javed, Adeel & Asim Feroz, Raja M. & Calhoun, Ronald, 2020. "Partial repowering analysis of a wind farm by turbine hub height variation to mitigate neighboring wind farm wake interference using mesoscale simulations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    22. Jan-Niklas Meier & Paul Lehmann & Bernd Süssmuth & Stephan Wedekind, 2024. "Wind power deployment and the impact of spatial planning policies," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(2), pages 491-550, February.
    23. Lohr, C. & Schlemminger, M. & Peterssen, F. & Bensmann, A. & Niepelt, R. & Brendel, R. & Hanke-Rauschenbach, R., 2022. "Spatial concentration of renewables in energy system optimization models," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 144-154.

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