Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

New analysis of SWiFT site atmospheric characterization

By Paul Dvorak | March 11, 2016

U.S. wind energy installations are growing in both size and number, representing a greater portion of U.S. energy production. To understand the impacts of these complex flow environments on wind turbine operations, the Scaled Wind Farm Technologies (SWiFT) facility was established for experimental study of turbine-turbine wake interactions. Turbine spacing and atmospheric conditions affect many features of waked operation of a wind turbine, including reduced power and increased loads.

Turbine spacing and atmospheric conditions affect many features of waked operation of a wind turbine, including reduced power and increased loads.

Turbine spacing and atmospheric conditions affect many features of waked operation of a wind turbine, including reduced power and increased loads.

A recent analysis of the atmospheric conditions at the SWiFT site performed using historical data from Texas Tech University’s 200m meteorological tower, SWiFT Site Atmospheric Characterization, can be used to inform the design of experimental campaigns. The analysis provides approximate conclusions about the frequency and magnitude of atmospheric conditions important to wind energy at the SWiFT site and scale. The analysis also lets modelers simulate the site prior to experimental campaigns based on probable conditions.

The analysis summarizes bulk atmospheric conditions, such as variable averages and distributions, and determination of the SWiFT turbine IEC design classification. The analysis also characterizes time dependency of atmospheric conditions at the SWiFT site, both seasonally and hourly. Correlated atmospheric conditions, such as atmospheric stability and turbulence levels, are also presented, thus capturing the likelihood of operations at combined sets of atmospheric conditions.


Filed Under: News
Tagged With: sandia national lab
 

About The Author

Paul Dvorak

Related Articles Read More >

Equinor launches ECO Liberty service operations vessel for Empire Wind offshore project
Triton Anchor receives U.S. patents for offshore anchor
US government allows Empire Wind offshore project to resume construction
Richardson Electronics to deliver pitch energy modules to TransAlta wind fleets

Podcasts

Wind Spotlight: Looking back at a year of Thrive with ZF Wind Power
See More >

Windpower Engineering & Development Digital Edition Archive

Digital Edition

Explore the full archive of digital issues of Windpower Engineering & Development, presented in a high-quality, user-friendly format. Access current and past editions, clip, share, and download valuable content from the industry’s leading wind power engineering resource.

Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Wind Articles
  • Solar Power World
  • Subscribe to Windpower Engineering
  • About Us/Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising

Search Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe