Here you can see the wind currents and turbulence that occur within an offshore wind turbine. The slower vortex fields behind the individual turbines appear in blue, the faster wind currents in red. These currents have a decisive influence on how high the yield of a wind farm is.
Offshore wind farms are an important component of electricity generation from renewable energies. Because the plants placed on the open sea generate more electricity due to the steady blowing wind and can also be larger. However, how efficiently the wind turbines produce electricity also depends on their correct placement.
The alignment of the rows and the spacing of the individual turbines also determine how they affect the wind field inside the offshore installation. The turbulence in the lee of a wind turbine can significantly reduce the performance of a second turbine in this vortex field. The correct distance is therefore essential.
However, the flow behavior of the wind through such a system is complex. If you want to examine its changes depending on certain influencing factors in detail, you need the computing power of supercomputers. A team of US researchers is currently using precisely these to simulate high-resolution wind currents in on- and offshore wind turbines.
This graphic shows the result of one of these simulations. The wind speed and turbulence of the wind are shown in an offshore wind turbine. You can clearly see the braking effect of the individual turbines, which greatly reduce the wind speed in their lee – seen here in blue. Red areas, on the other hand, indicate areas of high wind speeds.