Posters

Abstract

The work describes the benefits of a complete system, cost-driven, automated approach to wind farm prospecting and design. A systems engineering approach to wind farm design brings the capability to automate significant parts of the wind farm design and bidding process, reducing the up-front engineering effort required to develop new wind farm projects and allowing the industry to expand rapidly and efficiently. By capturing the many information and modelling sources and disciplines required for an accurate engineering concept design and cost calculation, multiple different scenarios can be explored easily. The wind energy system as a whole can be optimized with respect to cost of energy and the largest “levers” for reducing cost in the system and also the most significant risks and uncertainties can be identified and adjusted, for both current and future wind farms, with turbine sizes and technologies that are yet to be deployed. Renewables.Architect, a systems engineering tool that produces a complete farm concept design in an automated manner is presented. The software estimates turbine loading, sizes and costs individual turbine components, optimising key engineering parameters; automates tower and foundation concept design; generates a farm layout; places substations; selects and routes array and export cables, identifies transport and installation vessels; estimates operations and maintenance costs and produces a basic financial model for the project. This connected, holistic modelling approach has potential to drastically streamline the design of future wind farms, drive out cost and quantify complete system risk.