Turbulence Intensity in Complex Environments and its Influence on Small Wind Turbines

Abstract: The market of wind power as a sustainable energy source is growing, both on large and small scale. Conventional large scale wind turbines normally operate in uniform areas where expected wind speeds and turbulence characteristics are well investigated and the constructional design of the wind turbines is regulated by standard classes for different external conditions. Small scale wind turbines (SWT), on the other hand, are sometimes placed in more complex environments where the turbulence conditions are rougher. A larger amount of turbulence will generate a larger amount of fatigue loadings on the construction, increasing the risk of breakdown. It is therefore of major concern to perform more measurements and further investigate the turbulence characteristics in complex environments and the effect that these will have on small wind turbine construction. Thus, turbulence is measured with sonic anemometers at two sites with complex environments; at an urban site above a rooftop in a medium sized city (Uppsala, Sweden) and above a forest in Norunda (outside Uppsala) at two heights, near the treetops (z = 33 m) defined as complex and further up (z = 97 m) defined as more uniform. The turbulence data is analyzed and the results are compared to the normal turbulence model (NTM) as it is defined for the standard SWT classes by the International Electrotechnical Commission in the International standard 61400-2: Design requirements for small wind turbines (IEC, 2006). Measurements of  minute standard deviations of longitudinal wind speed (σu) and turbulence intensity (TIu) are reported, as well as the distributions of TIu and of 10  minute mean wind speeds (um) for the different sites and stabilities. The results show that the NTM represents the turbulence at 97 m height above the forest only for light wind speeds, smaller than 10 m/s, but underestimates the turbulence for higher wind speeds.  It should also be noted that the data is scattered and contain a number of occasions with extreme values of σu and TIu. For wind speeds higher than 10 m/s the number of observations is limited but the majority of the observations are more extreme than the NTM. At the complex sites (near the treetops and the rooftop) the NTM clearly underestimates both the magnitude and rate of change of σu with increasing wind speed, although the observed wind speeds close to these rough surfaces are low so the conclusions are limited. Average TIu at 97 m height is 19 %, compared to 41 % close above forest and 43 % above rooftop. Mean values of TIu above forest are generally 10 % lower during stable conditions (z/L > 0.05) while above rooftop, the wind material is sparse and 95 % of the observations had stable stratification so no dependence on stability can be seen. From these results it can be concluded that the turbulence characteristics close above treetops is similar to those above rooftop, but that the NTM, as it is defined for the standard SWT classes, is not valid in these complex and urban terrains and need to be modified to correctly estimate the turbulence intensities, and consequently also the loadings, affecting small wind turbines located at these kinds of sites.