In the heart of China’s northwest, the loess plateau stretches out, a vast and complex terrain that has long been a challenge for wind energy developers. The region’s unique geomorphological features create a turbulent and unpredictable atmosphere, making it difficult to harness the power of the wind efficiently and safely. However, a groundbreaking study led by Yulong Ma from the School of Energy and Power Engineering at Lanzhou University of Technology is shedding new light on the intricacies of wind flow in this region, with significant implications for the future of wind power.
The loess plateau, with its diverse topographic structures, has long been a hotspot for wind power development in China. In 2023 alone, the region accounted for approximately 27.5% of the country’s newly installed wind capacity. However, the complex flow field characteristics posed by the terrain have made it challenging to fully exploit wind resources and ensure the stable operation of turbines. “The loess plateau exhibits more diverse topographic structures and more complex flow field characteristics,” Ma explains. “These factors challenge both the exploitation of wind resources and the efficient, stable operation of turbines in this region.”
To tackle this challenge, Ma and his team conducted a series of wind tunnel experiments, focusing on the mean and turbulent characteristics of wake flow generated by mountains in the loess plateau. The results, published in the journal Energies, reveal that the terrain significantly affects both the average velocity deficit and turbulence intensity distribution within the wake. “The terrain significantly affects both the average velocity deficit and turbulence intensity distribution within the wake,” Ma said. “Topographic features dominate turbulent energy transfer and modulate coherent structures in the inertial subrange.”
The study found that the scale of these features enhances turbulence energy input at corresponding scales in the fluctuating wind speed spectrum, leading to a non-decaying energy interval within the inertial subregion. This means that the loess plateau’s unique terrain not only creates turbulence but also sustains it, making it a challenging environment for wind turbines. “The presence of high turbulence characteristics in this area will expedite wake recovery of wind turbines, while the annual power generation of single wind turbines located in this region will decrease due to a reduction in mean wind speed,” Ma notes.
The implications of this research are far-reaching. As the global wind power industry continues to grow, with onshore wind contributing a significant portion of new installations, understanding and mitigating the effects of complex terrain on wind turbine performance will be crucial. The findings from Ma’s study could inform wind resource assessment and turbine siting strategies in mountainous regions, not just in China but around the world.
The study also highlights the limitations of current wind tunnel experiments and the need for more sophisticated modeling techniques. “Future studies should integrate multi-physics simulations with field observations to validate these parameters,” Ma suggests. This could pave the way for more accurate predictions of wind turbine performance in complex terrains, ultimately leading to more efficient and reliable wind farms.
As the energy sector continues to evolve, research like Ma’s will be instrumental in shaping the future of wind power. By providing a deeper understanding of the atmospheric dynamics in complex terrains, this study could help unlock the full potential of wind energy, making it a more viable and sustainable source of power for generations to come.
