A Mixed Integer Linear Programing Formulation for Unrestricted Wind Farm Layout Optimization

Abstract

This paper presents a novel mixed integer linear programing (MILP) formulation for finding the optimal layout of a fixed number of identical turbines that maximizes wind farm power generation. Previous MILP formulations with power maximizing objectives discretize the feasible space by using a grid of possible turbine locations. The proposed MILP formulation takes a different approach by allowing unrestricted placement of turbines, but treats wake cone overlap as a binary outcome. The rationale behind the proposed formulation is that the expansion of the feasible space for turbine placement in the proposed formulation would offset the disadvantage of using a lower fidelity binary wake cone overlap model. For small wind farms, the proposed formulation was able to produce superior layouts compared to a grid-based MILP formulation.

Offshore wind farm collector system layout optimization based on self-tracking minimum spanning tree

“…One of the most significant issues needs to be considered when constructing wind farms is the orientation and location of wind turbines, because close distances and disordered orientations between neighboring turbines may result in a decrease in power generation due to the wake cone effect . However, this may not be the most essential problem for a large OWF.…”

“…3 One of the most significant issues needs to be considered when constructing wind farms is the orientation and location of wind turbines, because close distances and disordered orientations between neighboring turbines may result in a decrease in power generation due to the wake cone effect. [4][5][6] However, this may not be the most essential problem for a large OWF. With fewer geography limitations, the space for installing wind turbines in a large OWF is much less restricted because it can be located more than a hundred miles away from coastlines.…”