Windpolishing

Windpolishing is a term that has emerged in recent years to describe a phenomenon observed in certain wind turbine deployments. It refers to the reduction in the overall wind speed experienced by downwind turbines in a wind farm. This occurs because the upwind turbines extract a significant amount of kinetic energy from the wind, thereby slowing it down before it reaches the turbines located behind them. This effect can impact the power output of the downwind turbines, as they are operating in a less energetic wind stream.

The extent of windpolishing depends on several factors, including the spacing between turbines, their size and power rating, and prevailing wind conditions. Closely spaced turbines are more likely to experience significant windpolishing. Understanding and mitigating this effect is a key consideration in wind farm design and optimization. Techniques such as optimizing turbine layout, adjusting turbine control strategies, and utilizing advanced wake modeling are employed to minimize the negative impacts of windpolishing and maximize the overall energy production of a wind farm. Research continues to explore more sophisticated methods to address this aerodynamic interaction between turbines.