Optimizing the layout of onshore wind farms to minimize noise

Xiawei Wu, Weihao Hu, Qi Huang, Cong Chen, Mark Z. Jacobson and Zhe Chen

Applied Energy, 2020, vol. 267, issue C, No S0306261920304086

Abstract: As wind farm numbers and areas increase worldwide, it has become increasingly important to examine the impact of wind energy on the surrounding environment. One effect in some scenarios is noise, which depends on the type and age of the wind turbines and the distances between them and the residential buildings. Previous research on wind farm layout optimization has been generally aimed at achieving the minimum investment cost or maximum captured energy. This approach does not entirely align with minimizing noise. This paper focuses on an optimal layout for a wind farm considering its noise, without sacrificing power production. By optimizing the wind farm layout, the minimum noise is set as the basic objective, and both the wake effect and distances among wind turbines are considered. The basic particle swarm optimization algorithm and its evolutionary version are adopted and compared for better performance of calculation cost. Two strategies are presented to address the problems in various scenarios and to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method and its effectiveness in designing layouts that minimize noise. Compared to a reference layout, a stringent noise control strategy could reduce the noise by 11%, even if minor, and increase the power production by 3.1%. A flexible strategy could reduce the noise by 5.7% and increase the power production by 3.1%.

Keywords: Onshore wind farms; Layout optimization; Environmental impact; Wind turbine noise; Wake effect; Economic and environmental balance strategy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114896

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