Modeling and experimentally-driven sensitivity analysis of wake-induced power loss in offshore wind farms: Insights from Block Island Wind Farm

Wake effects present a major challenge in offshore wind farms where closely spaced turbines are often arranged in layouts that promote alignment and interaction. These aerodynamic disturbances, caused by upstream turbines, can significantly reduce power output and increase loads on downstream turbines, compromising the farm’s overall efficiency. This study focuses on the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF), the first offshore wind farm in the United States, to perform a sensitivity analysis of key operational and model parameters — turbulence intensity, yaw misalignment, and power and thrust coefficients — using the FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State (FLORIS) framework. Based on experimental data from the BIWF, the analysis offers a robust evaluation of wake effects under real-world conditions. Initially, the focus is on aligned turbine pairs, enabling controlled observations of wake impacts on downstream performance. The results highlight the dominant role of turbulence intensity and its seasonal variation in shaping wake dynamics. The study then expands to a farm-level assessment, evaluating the FLORIS model’s accuracy in predicting wake effects and power losses across the entire wind farm. The goal is to identify and prioritize the most critical parameters affecting power loss, enhancing turbine modeling accuracy, and improving overall farm performance based on empirical data.