A study of onshore wind turbine spatial arrangement in Thailand

Abstract

This study examines the impact of wind turbine spatial arrangement on electricity generation efficiency in onshore wind energy farms within Thailand's meteorological and geographical context. An empirical analysis was conducted on 20 operational wind energy farms representing approximately 96% of Thailand's installed onshore wind capacity. Geographic information system (GIS) techniques were applied to measure the spacing and layout of the turbines, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) system advisor model (SAM) was employed to simulate the amount of electricity generated each year, considering wake effects, terrain, and site-specific wind resources. Capacity factors were calculated and compared against operational data. Results indicate capacity factors range from 17.12% to 30.75%, with a mean of 23.34%. Research reveals that wind turbine spacing is not the primary determinant of wind energy farm performance in Thailand. When the wind resources and site characteristics are good, the wind energy farms can have good performance from many different spacing setups. On the other hand, layout optimization by itself can't make up for bad wind conditions. These findings demonstrate the need for a more comprehensive design for wind energy farms in areas with moderate wind resources.