A novel wake model for yawed wind turbines

Abstract One of the current major challenges in wind energy is to maximize energy production of wind farms. One approach in this effort is through control of wind turbine wake interactions, since undesirable wake interactions can introduce additional mechanical stresses on turbines, leading to early failures and reduce overall energy production of wind farms. To develop control strategies that can minimize wake interactions, it is essential to simulate wake behaviors accurately and quickly. In this work, a fast and accurate turbine wake model capable of modeling turbine wakes under yaw is presented. This model builds upon the work of existing wake models and is capable of producing results comparable to that of conventional full CFD simulations using a fraction of the computational cost. The accuracy and speed of the proposed model allows for the development of real-time turbine control strategies to maximize power output. The results of the proposed model are validated with previous numerical and experimental data.