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DOE OSTI2023

1:70-Scale Model Testing of the Reference OpenSource Controller (ROSCO) on the IEA-Wind 15MW Reference Wind Turbine Including Floating Feedback: Preprint

This paper presents results from the Floating Offshore-wind Controls Advanced Laboratory (FOCAL) Experimental campaign performed at the University of Maine's (UMaine's) Harold Alfond Wind/Wave Ocean Engineering Laboratory (W2). The project involves four Froude-scaled test campaigns considering the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind 15MW Reference Wind Turbine deployed on the VolturnUS-S semi-submersible platform with tuned-mass damper (TMD) elements in the hull. The turbine employs real-time rotor torque and blade pitch control through the Reference OpenSource Controller (ROSCO), including the additional control strategies of ROSCO's thrust peak shaving and a floating feedback control loop. Results with the floating feedback control are considered in this paper and show a significant reduction in platform pitch motion and loads around the platform pitch natural frequency with minimal negative impact of rotor power quality.

controls↗

DOE OSTI2025

Front-of-Meter Model Results

These files contains aggregations of key variables from the NREL Distributed Wind Futures Study using full parcel level data. These variables describe total technical and economic potential for distributed wind turbine deployment. Aggregations are available at the (1) county, (2) zipcode (zip code tabulation area or zcta), and (3) US Census block group level. Each scenario is coded with the scenario name (e.g., baseline) and year (e.g., 2022). Those files postfixed with 'econpot' contain results for only those parcels that are economically viable while the files postfixed with 'techpot' include results for all parcels that are technically feasible. Hence these correspond to technoeconomic and technical potential respectively. The data are available as CSV or Geopackage. Columns in the files are as follows: * geoid: geographic identifier (FIPS code or similar) * min_techpot_sum_kw: technical potential for all parcels in kW using turbines downsized to demand when appropriate * max_techpot_sum_kw: technical potential for all parcels in kW without downsizing turbines * aep_sum_kwh: annual energy production estimate in kWh * cf_mean_ratio: mean capacity factor * lcoe_mean_cents_per_kwh: mean levelized cost of energy for parcels in geography in cents per kWh * lcoe_std_cents_per_kwh: standard deviation of the above * parcel_area_sum_acres: total area of viable parcels in acres * n_turbines: number of cited turbines (one per viable parcel currently) Note: These are preliminary results from the full-parcel 2024 update of the Distributed Wind Energy Futures study. Please take care when making use of the data, and feel free to contact the team with any questions. Full documentation in support of these data is in progress and will follow.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Behind-the-Meter Model Results

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

20% of US electricity from wind will have limited impacts on system efficiency and regional climate

Abstract Impacts from current and future wind turbine (WT) deployments necessary to achieve 20% electricity from wind are analyzed using high resolution numerical simulations over the eastern USA. Theoretical scenarios for future deployments are based on repowering (i.e. replacing with higher capacity WTs) thus avoiding competition for land. Simulations for the contemporary climate and current WT deployments exhibit good agreement with observed electricity generation efficiency (gross capacity factors (CF) from simulations = 45–48%, while net CF for WT installed in 2016 = 42.5%). Under the scenario of quadrupled installed capacity there is a small decrease in system-wide efficiency as indicated by annual mean CF. This difference is approximately equal to that from the two simulation years and may reflect saturation of the wind resource in some areas. WT modify the local near-surface climate in the grid cells where they are deployed. The simulated impact on near-surface climate properties at both the regional and local scales does not increase with increasing WT installed capacity. Climate impacts from WT are modest compared to regional changes induced by historical changes in land cover and to the global temperature perturbation induced by use of coal to generate an equivalent amount of electricity.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Wind Energy Accomplishments and Year-End Performance Report: Fiscal Year 2024

As the largest source of clean, renewable power generation in the United States and one of the fastest growing sources of new electricity supply, wind energy will play a large role in the nation's energy future. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, scientists, engineers, analysts, and support professionals at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) worked to accelerate the pace of innovation in wind energy science and technology, advance grid systems integration, and develop sustainable solutions to deployment challenges. Much of NREL's research, development, and deployment work aligns with addressing the Grand Challenges of Wind Energy. Beginning in 2019, DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office partnered with the International Energy Agency to identify the barriers to greater wind energy deployment and related research gaps. The world's leading wind energy scientists and engineers identified five research areas as critical to advancing wind energy deployment: wind atmospheric science, wind turbine systems, wind plants and grid, environmental co-design, and social science. In FY 2024, NREL's accomplishments helped narrow the research gaps in these critical areas. This report provides details on those accomplishments.

accomplishments↗

DOE OSTI2022

Convective Updraft and Downdraft Characteristics of Continental Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Model Gray Zone

Here, the "gray zone" of convective modeling is defined as the range of horizontal grid spacings (Δx) at which turbulent transport processes are only partially resolved by the dynamics of the numerical model. This zone typically covers Δx from a few kilometers to several hundred meters, wherein the realistic representation of convective cloud processes can be challenging. This study characterizes the convective draft behaviors at multiple Δx across the gray zone and determines the appropriate Δx that can reliably capture these salient convective properties. We perform an ensemble of idealized simulations of mesoscale convective systems (MCS) using the Weather Research and Forecasting model at various Δx from 4 km to 250 m over the central U.S. An evaluation of key MCS kinematic properties is constrained using unique, long-term vertical velocity estimates obtained by radar wind profilers deployed by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement user facility. MCS simulations for all Δx tested overestimate (underestimate) the probabilities of convective updrafts (downdrafts) compared to the observations. In terms of the convective draft intensity, finer-Δx models overestimate the updraft intensity, while the opposite is found for downdrafts. Moving from Δx = 4 km to 250 m, downdrafts become stronger and more frequent especially at middle and upper levels, attributed to additional drag from an increasing graupel frequency and compensation of enhanced updraft velocity. Simulated draft characteristics, including core size, intensity, and probability of occurrence, exhibit pronounced changes at Δx greater than 500 m, but suggest less sensitivity when Δx is reduced below 500 m.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Composite Power System Reliability with Renewables and Customer Flexibility

Composite Power System Reliability is defined as the computational procedure that quantifies the probability that the power system will perform the function of delivering electric power to customers adequately, on a continuous basis and with an acceptable quality. This definition leaves many details undefined and exemplifies the ambiguity in reliability analysis. The increasing deployment of wind and PV creates additional uncertainties that make reliability analysis a rather complex issue. Because of increased uncertainty the need for composite reliability analysis and utilization of results in power system planning is critical. New approaches are emerging for dealing with these problems from the operational point of view, including demand response programs, tapping on customer and distributed resource flexibility and new control approaches. The key question to be addressed is: how the new operational paradigms affect composite power system reliability. Here, this paper presents the ongoing work of the IEEE Composite System Reliability Task Force of the IEEE PES Reliability, Risk, Probability Application (RRPA) Subcommittee.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2021

Methods for Representing Flexible, Energy-Constrained Technologies in Utility Planning Tools

Capacity expansion models are widely used by power system researchers, planners, and policy analysts to evaluate alternative power system investment scenarios. With the increasing deployment of wind and solar in the US, there has been much focus on improving the representations of variable generation (VG) technologies within capacity expansion models. Models that capture the variable net-load profiles and larger reserve requirements associated with high penetration VG systems represent an improvement to classic capacity expansion models, but fall short of capturing the complexities associated with storage technologies, such as battery energy storage (BES) and concentrating solar power with thermal energy storage (CSP with TES). While difficult to model in a capacity expansion setting, these technologies are potentially competitive sources of flexibility with the intriguing characteristics of being able to absorb VG that would otherwise be curtailed and directly contribute to renewable energy goals, respectively. In this paper we present methods for accurately representing these technologies in a large-scale capacity expansion model with high electrical and geospatial resolution. VG modeling techniques, including novel methods for capturing curtailment due to unit commitment and other hourly dispatch phenomena, are also reviewed. Modeling for a region in the southwestern United States demonstrates the economic relevance of being able to explicitly trade off the costs and capabilities of energy-constrained technologies, especially BES, against other resources in the near-term, in time to make plans for the coming decade

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Vehicle-to-Grid Electric School Bus Commercialization Project

The Vehicle-to-Grid Electric School Bus Commercialization Project was chartered to advance the idea that the batteries in electric vehicles can play a valuable role in supporting the electric grid. As deployment of wind and solar generating resources accelerates to provide an ever-greater share of the nation’s electricity, concurrent investment in solutions that can offset their inherent intermittency will be necessary. Many types of energy storage systems have been proposed, and more than one type will find an economic fit in the grid of the future. Electric vehicle batteries have the potential to provide grid support services in an advantaged manner. The project’s method of exploring this proposition called for development and demonstration of a fleet of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric school buses. School buses were chosen because their energy storage capacity is large relative light-duty vehicles; they are typically domiciled in fleet settings; and the number of hours per year they are available for grid support services is high on an absolute basis (generally 80-85% of the hours in a year) and relative to other categories of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Simulation of the Multi-Wake Evolution of Two Sandia National Labs/National Rotor Testbed Turbines Operating in a Tandem Layout

The future of wind power systems deployment is in the form of wind farms comprised of scores of such large turbines, most likely at offshore locations. Individual turbines have grown in span from a few tens of meters to today’s large turbines with rotor diameters that dwarf even the largest commercial aircraft. These massive dynamical systems present unique challenges at scales unparalleled in prior applications of wind science research. Fundamental to this effort is the understanding of the wind turbine wake and its evolution. Furthermore, the optimization of the entire wind farm depends on the evolution of the wakes of different turbines and their interactions within the wind farm. In this article, we use the capabilities of the Common ODE Framework (CODEF) model for the analysis of the effects of wake–rotor and wake-to-wake interactions between two turbines situated in a tandem layout fully and partially aligned with the incoming wind. These experiments were conducted in the context of a research project supported by the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) program of Sandia National Labs (SNL). Results are presented for a layout which emulates the turbine interspace and relative turbine emplacement found at SNL’s Scaled Wind Technologies Facility (SWiFT), located in Lubbock, Texas. The evolution of the twin-wake interaction generates a very rich series of secondary transitions in the vortex structure of the combined wake. These ultimately affect the wake’s axial velocity patterns, altering the position, number, intensity, and shape of localized velocity-deficit zones in the wake’s cross-section. This complex distribution of axial velocity patterns has the capacity to substantially affect the power output, peak loads, fatigue damage, and aeroelastic stability of turbines located in subsequent rows downstream on the farm.

Baruah, Apurva (ORCID:0000000252354068)↗

DOE OSTI2021

Long-Term Planning for the Tamil Nadu Power System

Increased deployment of wind and solar raises new questions for power system planners regarding the future mix of generation technologies, optimal siting of generation capacity, trade-offs between generation and transmission investments, and system flexibility needs. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working with Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO) to answer the following questions: How much—and what type—of generation and transmission investments are needed to serve future demand at least cost? How can variable resources such as wind and solar be considered in the planning process? What are the key drivers (e.g., policies, technology costs, fuel constraints) for investments?

Children's Investment Fund Foundation↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Determinants of Offshore Wind's Role in a Future U.S. Energy System: A Preliminary Modeling Sensitivity Analysis [Slides]

Offshore wind is an emerging industry in the with rapidly changing technology advancements and an accelerating global deployment. Policy demands and interest in the United States has grown, but the long-term future for offshore wind remains uncertain. This study is designed to evaluate offshore wind's potential role in the future U.S. energy system. The analysis uses long-term power system models to assess a wide-range of power system possibilities. Specific objectives of the analysis are to: (1) identify the determinants of offshore wind deployment under different scenarios and (2) understand the impacts of substantial levels of offshore wind deployment on the power system. We also highlight future research needs for more robust understanding the opportunities and challenges to U.S. offshore wind development.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

IEA Wind Task 49: Reference Site Conditions for Floating Wind Arrays

The commercial-scale deployment of floating offshore wind (FOW) projects is expected to take place in a diverse range of sites that may differ significantly from existing fixed-bottom projects. FOW farms are particularly sensitive to the water depth and the meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) and geotechnical conditions at the project site due to the wave-induced system motions and loads as well as the anchoring system constraints imposed by the seafloor conditions. Uncertainty around the site conditions will permeate through all aspects of project design, leading to suboptimal and overly conservative designs, increased costs, and adversely affected performance. As FOW expands into a global industry, metocean and geotechnical conditions will increasingly vary for projects located in different geographic regions or in far-from-shore, deep-water sites. This study represents the outputs of work package 1 of International Energy Agency Wind Task 49, which focuses on the integrated design of floating wind arrays. The primary goal of this study is to establish the type of parameters and constraints required to characterize FOW array reference sites; provide a realistic and publicly available set of reference site conditions to the FOW community as a baseline set of data for individual research projects; identify and categorize any critical gaps in the existing data or methodologies required to define reference site characteristics; and inform and support the design of reference FOW arrays. A building block concept was developed for synthesizing reference sites for the design of FOW arrays. The building blocks include three classes of site conditions focusing on the techno-economic design of FOW projects: metocean conditions, seabed conditions, and coastal infrastructure. All reference site data produced and collected in this study are publicly available.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Maintaining Grid Reliability: Lessons From Renewable Integration Studies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other organizations have sponsored numerous research studies over the last two decades to examine the effect of increased wind and solar deployment on grid reliability, including a number of studies that examine grids deriving more than 50% of annual energy from wind and solar. In this report, we discuss key findings from both the research body of knowledge and real-world practice related to grid reliability, and we demonstrate how to plan for and achieve continued reliability in the future as wind and solar deployment increase.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of Infrasound Wind Noise Reduction Systems for Use in Temporary Deployments

Infrasound, or low frequency sound 20 Hz, is produced by a variety of natural and anthropogenic sources. Wind also generates signals within this frequency band and serves as a persistent source of infrasonic noise. Infrasound sensors measure pressure fluctuations, which scale with the ambient density and velocity fluctuations of ground winds. Here we compare four different wind noise reduction systems, or "filters", and make recommendations for their use in temporary infrasound deployments. Our results show that there are two filters that are especially effective at reducing wind noise: (1) a Hyperion high frequency (HF) shroud with a 1 m diameter metal mesh dome placed on top and (2) a Hyperion Four Port Garden Hose shroud with 4 Miracle-Gro Soaker System garden hoses. We also find that placing a 5-gallon bucket over the HF wind shroud should not be done as it provides a negligible decrease in noise up to ~ 1 Hz and then an increase in noise. We conclude that it is up to the researcher to determine which of the other filters is best for their needs based on location and expense. We anticipate this study will be used as a resource for future deployments when a wind noise reduction method is necessary but only needed for a limited time period.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

2020 System Optimization Awardee: Carter Wind Turbines

With support from the Competitiveness Improvement Project's System Optimization Award, Carter Wind Energy aims to lower the cost of distributed wind technology and expand deployment. To do so, the company will improve the cost-effectiveness and reliability of midsize wind turbines for remote, off-grid power applications, creating new wind energy deployment opportunities worldwide. This fact sheet provides an overview of Carter Wind Energy's project, how the company will achieve the goals of the award, and how the project fits within the overall Competitiveness Improvement Project.

CIP↗

DOE OSTI2021

Remote-sensing and radiosonde datasets collected in the San Luis Valley during the LAPSE-RATE campaign

Abstract. In July 2018, the International Society for Atmospheric Research using Remotely piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) hosted a flight week to showcase the role remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) can have in filling the atmospheric data gap. This campaign was called Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation – a Remotely-piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE). In support of this campaign, ground-based remote and in situ systems were also deployed for the campaign. The University of Oklahoma deployed the Collaborative Lower Atmospheric Mobile Profiling System (CLAMPS), the University of Colorado deployed two Doppler wind lidars, and the National Severe Storms Laboratory deployed a mobile mesonet with the ability to launch radiosondes. This paper focuses on the data products from these instruments that result in profiles of the atmospheric state. The data are publicly available in the Zenodo LAPSE-RATE community portal (https://zenodo.org/communities/lapse-rate/, 19 January 2021). The profile data discussed are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3780623 (Bell and Klein, 2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3780593 (Bell et al., 2020b), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3727224 (Bell et al., 2020a), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3738175 (Waugh, 2020b), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3720444 (Waugh, 2020a), and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3698228 (Lundquist et al., 2020).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Wind power production from very large offshore wind farms

In this work, we provide the first quantitative assessment of power production and wake generation from offshore wind energy lease areas along the U.S. east coast. Deploying 15-MW wind turbines, with spacing equal to the European average, yields electricity production of 116 TWh/year or 3% of current national supply. However, power production is reduced by one-third due to wakes caused by upwind wind turbines and wind farms. Under some flow conditions whole wind-farm wakes can extend up to 90 km downwind of the largest lease areas, and the frequency-weighted average area with a 5% velocity deficit is 2.6 times the footprint of the lease areas. Simulations including maritime corridors demonstrate reduction in the wake effects leading to power-efficiency gains and may offer contingent benefits. First-order scaling rules are developed that describe how “wake shadows” from large offshore wind farms scale with prevailing meteorology and wind turbine installed densities.

15 MW↗