Wind farm flow control (WFFC) technology is a strategy that manipulates the flow of wind within a wind farm to improve its overall performance.
It involves the coordination of individual turbines, thereby enhancing power production, reducing loads on turbines, and optimising energy costs. This is achieved by adjusting turbine parameters like yaw angle, blade pitch, and generator torque to influence airflow and mitigate wake effects.
WFFC is an emerging technology and research and development on it is ongoing, focused on refining control strategies and optimising wind farm design.
The JIP establishes industry-wide consensus on important aspects of WFFC paving the way towards bankability, addressing long-standing gaps in benefit quantification and simulation accuracy.
Utilising DNV’s LongSim software, the JIP analysed the largest body of test data ever compiled for WFFC, enabling precise predictions of energy yield improvements under real-world conditions. These findings have significantly progressed standardized methodologies, aiming to give developers, OEMs, and financiers the methodologies to evaluate and deploy WFFC projects with confidence.
“This collaboration has elevated wind farm flow control from a promising concept to a credible solution for improving operational efficiency” said Ditlev Engel, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Systems at DNV. “By bringing together 20 industry leaders to develop robust performance benchmarks and standardised methodologies, we’ve addressed critical challenges - uncertainty, fragmented data, and inconsistent modeling - that previously slowed progress. This marks both a technical achievement and a significant step forward commercially: WFFC now provides operators with a potential competitive advantage, delivering measurable returns that can help accelerate the energy transition.”
A key strength of the project is its framework, allowing participants to accelerate WFFC integration into upcoming projects, which now grants them a first-mover advantage. The collaboration also stood out for its rare alignment of developers, utilities, OEMs, and energy majors on unified acceptance criteria, ensuring a unified approach to adoption. DNV’s combined expertise across teams provided end-to-end technical validation, reinforcing confidence in the results.
The JIP directly tackled three core industry challenges. First, it confirmed WFFC’s compatibility with existing assets, resolving implementation feasibility concerns. Second, it quantified energy output gains demonstrating the potential for clear benefits. Finally, it validated DNV’s LongSim as a reliable tool for simulating complex farm-wide flow interactions, giving stakeholders robust models and data to support decision-making.
Industry participants recognise the project’s value in driving innovation.
“The involvement of so many players in this JIP underscores the sector’s commitment to maximising wind asset performance through innovation” said Astrid Rusås Kristoffersen, Director of R&D at DNV. “DNV’s methodology, developed in Group R&D, strengthens our partners’ confidence to deploy WFFC at scale.”
With the successful completion of the JIP, WFFC is gaining traction as a transformative solution for wind farm operators - strengthening credibility and trust while advancing toward bankable applications. A selection of partners has agreed to continue their cooperation in moving WFFC towards bankability in a continuation of the JIP with more data and further refinements of methodologies.
Key findings from the project will be shared in a webinar on June 30, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CEST:
JIP participants: BP, EDF Renewables, EnBW, EnergieKontor, Enel Green Power, ENGIE, Equinor, GE Vernova, Schroeders Greencoat, Iberdrola/ScottishPower, Parkwind, Pattern, Repsol, RES, RWE, Shell, Vattenfall, Vestas, Windey, Ørsted.
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