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OPTIMIZE *NEW*

Maximize your profits

Find the optimal wind farm size, turbine model while considering lifetime, noise and distance constraints with windPRO’s new LCOE, AEP, or NPV optimizer.

  • Maximize profits
    Create layouts optimized for generating maximum profits over the wind farm lifetime
  • VS
    Select the right turbine and park size
    Cheap or expensive turbine?
    Dense or sparse layout?
    windPRO guides you to the right decision
  • Minimize LCOE
    Create layouts with lowest cost of energy using new automatic cost-functions
  • Offshore & Onshore
    Cable and road costs are different on land and sea. Let the layout reflect this.
  • Lifetime and Noise
    Ensure the optimized layout will sustain its intended lifetime and respects noise constraints.
  • Lots more
    Compare layouts, wind farm sizes and turbine models for each selection. Easily handle constraint exceedances.

Maximize profits

When optimizing a wind farm layout, it is important to ask the key question: “What defines the optimal layout?”

Is it the lowest cost of energy (LCOE)?

Is it the highest production (AEP)?

Or is it the maximum lifetime profits (NPV)?

In OPTIMIZE all three objectives can be handled. By considering costs, income and profits it is possible to generate optimized layouts with the lowest LCOE, highest AEP or maximum Net Present Value (profit).

 

Select the right turbine model

The new optimizer makes it easy to select several turbine models and compare which will yield the highest production, lowest LCOE or highest NPV.

Minimize LCOE

Knowing the cost of the wind farm, OPTIMIZE can generate layouts with the lowest possible levelized cost of energy (LCOE), or highest NPV.

OPTIMIZE uses the new cost function tool in windPRO to calculate the costs of relevant aspects of a wind farm project:

  • Wind turbine
    • rotor size
    • hub height,
    • generator
  • Road layout
  • Grid layout
  • + other cost components for DEVEX, CAPEX, OPEX, ABEX

 

These cost input can all be modified from site to site. Known absolute costs  can easily be calibrated into the cost functions.

 

 

OPTIMIZE Irregular Patterns

Offshore & Onshore

The new optimizer in windPRO covers both onshore and offshore optimization.

The key differences between onshore and offshore optimizations lie in the setup of the wake decay constant for the annual energy production (AEP) calculation and in the model for calculating the cost of building the wind farm (for LCOE and NPV optimizations). The available area is often larger for offshore than for onshore and the resource is different.

In any case, OPTIMIZE can easily handle both situations.

Lifetime and Noise

Noise

For onshore projects close to dwellings it is often important to adhere to noise restrictions. The OPTIMIZE module uses the ISO noise propagation models from the well-known DECIBEL module to make sure the proposed layouts all adhere to the noise restrictions. Therefore, a license for the DECIBEL module is required to include noise constraints.

Lifetime

The fatigue loads of a wind turbine can also be included in the optimization. This way it is possible to generate layouts which are able to withstand 15-20-25 years of operation.

The OPTIMIZE module uses the LOAD RESPONSE module technology to evaluate the lifetime capabilities of the wind farm. Therefore, a license for the LOAD RESPONSE module is required to include lifetime constraints.

Besides noise and lifetime, the OPTIMIZE module can also adhere to simple distance constraints like  distance circles or ellipses, buffer zones etc.

 

Lots more

Easy layout comparison

The OPTIMIZE module makes it easy to compare apples to apples. With dedicated comparison tools, it is possible to compare different park sizes, turbine models and layouts. Depending on the choice of AEP, LCOE or NPV it is easy to identify the most profitable, cheapest or highest producing configuration.

Optimize Constraint Exceedance

Sometimes it is just not possible to build the desired number of turbines on a particular site while also adhering to lifetime and/or noise constraints. In this situation, the OPTIMIZE module can create the layout(s) which most closely adheres to the constraints.

This enables developers to address the underlaying assumptions which blocks the wind farm development and take action like purchasing a noise sensitive neighbor.