Numerical site calibration: a validation study

Authors: Derek Roberts, Luke Simmons, James Bleeg, Mirko del Hoyo, Christiane Montavon

Request a copy

First name

Last name

Company name

Job title

Country

By completing this form, I confirm that I have read the privacy statement and understood and accept the terms of use.

I would like to receive informational emails with related content in the future from DNV, for example but not limited to invitations to webinars, seminars, newsletters, or access to research that DNV thinks is relevant to me. I can unsubscribe or change my email preferences at any time using the links in the footer of the emails I receive from DNV.

Numerical site calibration (NSC) – the development of location-to-location wind speed transfer functions using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models – presents an opportunity to enable complex-terrain wind turbine performance testing without the significant costs and risks associated with in-situ site calibration measurements.

To date, commercial application of NSC has been limited by a lack of comprehensive validation and by difficulties quantifying associated uncertainties. This study leverages a database of site calibration measurements to validate DNV’s NSC methodology at 27 mast-turbine pairs across seven North American project sites. Results indicate that NSC is a robust option for estimating mast-to-turbine transfer functions in complex terrain (within certain terrain constrains).

Replacing physical measurements with numerical approximations can enable performance tests that include larger quantities of turbines at a fraction of the cost and logistical complexity, reducing project risk for both wind farm developers and wind turbine manufacturers. DNV expects that this validation study can serve as a key reference regarding the commercialization of NSC.