Recent discussions, about offshore wind resource estimation, demonstrated the need for more sophisticated wake models to reduce the risk of overestimating power production. In this context, ZephyScience developed a new computation methodology, empowered by its cloud-computing services.

This topic emerged over the past few months: wake models used up until now by the wind resource community are ignoring the so-called ‘blockage effect’, resulting from the two-way coupling between wind turbines and the atmosphere.

According to DNV-GL, unaccounted losses from the blockage effect can represent up to 4% of the mean annual energy yield. Therefore, an accurate modeling of wake and blockage effects should be implemented, in order to perform correct estimations of future production.