The University of Manchester has secured funding to lead a 12-month research project aimed at improving understanding of energy yield from offshore wind in UK waters. The project, POUNDS (Prediction Of UnqualifieD losseS from offshore wind farm wakes), will provide a national-scale assessment of wind farm interactions.
When large groups of turbines operate in close proximity, they create ‘wakes’—areas of slower wind behind them. These wakes, which have been observed extending up to 65 km, are increasingly affecting the performance of neighbouring wind farms, reducing efficiency and causing conflicts between operators.
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Impact Hub, POUNDS will be conducted in collaboration with the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) institutes, industry experts, and policymakers, including ORE Catapult, Arup, EDF, RWE, and The Crown Estate.
Key objectives:
- Assessing how offshore wind farms impact each other’s energy production and the associated revenue implications.
- Identifying optimal locations for future wind farms to minimise losses and help meet UK renewable energy targets.
- Validating modelled performance data against real-world operational data.
- Improving model accuracy in forecasting wind farm energy production.
The project will use mesoscale models—advanced numerical weather forecasting models—to analyse the performance of wind farms across UK waters at a 1 km resolution. The study will examine both operational wind farms as of 2023 and the thousands of additional turbines planned by 2030.
The analysis will assess model accuracy relative to real-world data, quantify the impact of inter-farm wakes on energy yield predictions, and compare wind farm performance against energy export grid data.
