The impact of upgrades to the latest WAsP model (v12.0) on wind resource assessments
WAsP has been regarded as the industry standard wind flow modelling tool for microscale wind resource assessment since the 1990s. The limits of WAsP are well understood, including the assumptions of laminar flow and neutral atmospheric stratification. For the last decade or so, one of the focal points of discussion has been the wake model which tends to significantly underestimate wake losses from roughly the fifth row of turbines downwind, namely the deep array wake effect. This is especially important when performing analysis in offshore conditions where the impact of this wake effect is considerably more prominent than onshore. The latest upgrade of the software, version 12.0, was released in December 2017 which offers, among other things, a major improvement in the wake model.
Objectives
Before implementing any new software, Lloyd’s Register (LR) performs independent checks in order to test how close it reflects reality, whether it is consistent with previous iterations – the impact that this will have on analyses past and present – and also to understand any improvements in the model approach. For WAsP v12.0 the following tests have been run:
- An investigation into the impact of WAsP v12.0 on modelling uncertainty and energy yield predictions.
- Tests on the new PARK2 wake model implemented within WAsP v12.0.
To view the test results, please click here to download the paper.
Transformation is in the wind.
- The Energy Resource Services team at Lloyd's Register