Numerical investigation and optimization of the wind farm layout problem

In this study, feasibility study of wind farm for Kütahya province of Turkey was carried out. The wind data recorded in a wind measurement station in Kızılbayır region near Dumlupınar University Evliya Çelebi Campus was analyzed using WAsP software. The wind energy techno-economic analysis was carried out for the three windiest sites on the investigated area. According to the levelized cost of energy analysis carried out considering the current market data, wind energy unit cost was calculated to vary from 0.0248 to 0.0372 US $ / kWh depending on turbine and site selection. Wind farm layout optimization problem solutions for three different power capacities (25, 50, 75 MW) were performed for the selected windiest site. For this purpose, an optimization code was prepared by using MATLAB software. The altitude values and Weibull parameters at each possible turbine locations were defined for the optimization code. Before constructing the final optimization code structure, two different wind farm layout optimization problems were solved. According to the results of the optimization, a wind farm with a power of 25.3 MW installed in the windiest region was estimated to generate 77.677 GWh of annual energy with a capacity factor of 35%. It was observed that with the increased power capacity, the capacity factor was fallen and therefore the unit energy cost was increased. In addition, affordability rate of the Dumlupınar University Evliya Çelebi Campus' hourly electricity demand with wind energy was investigated. The windiest places around the campus were dedected by WASP software. These regions were investigated in terms of installation suitability, physical conditions and noise propagation. Under the assumptions, it was estimated that a turbine model that can meet 38.9% of the instantaneous hourly consumption will generate 57.8% of the total annual consumption of the campus.