WindFarmer

WindFarmer is wind energy software used to calculate turbine wake impacts, energy yield, and site conditions for determining turbine suitability. WindFarmer uses wind modeling inputs from WAsP or CFD software. WindFarmer is developed internally by the independent renewable energy consultant Garrad Hassan. WindFarmer incorporates an Eddy Viscosity wake model which differs from the PARK model employed by WindPRO, a leading competitor. [ [http://www.emd.dk/files/windpro/documentation/Windfarmer%20wake%20loss%20calculation.pdf Comparing WindPRO and Windfarmer wake loss calculation] ] WindFarmer and WindPRO have both been trusted by investment banks to develop the published wind energy assessments used to determine financing for proposed wind farms.

WindFarmer, like WindPRO, can optimize a wind farm layout for energy yield given turbine spacing, setback distances, shadow flicker, and acoustic noise level constraints. [ [http://www.lynnllp.com/_resources/In_Defense_of_the_wind_brochure2-62.pdf Legal Challenges Facing Wind Power Can be a Breeze with Proper Planning] ] Both products also feature wind farm visualization capabilities.

History

WindFarmer was originally called WINDOPS and developed by Nicholas Robinson and Graeme Neilson of Ripe Software for Natural Power Consultants. WINDOPS 1.0 played a crucial role in kicking off the wind farm design software market meaning that site layout optimisation was no longer the exclusive domain of one or two consultants. Just before WINDOPS 2.0 was released, Garrad Hassan bought into the project and it was renamed WindFarmer. Release of the software was delayed whilst Garrad Hassan's models were translated from FORTRAN to C++ and incorporated into the code and the resulting product validated. Garrad Hassan and Natural Power had a joint venture for a while called WINDOPS before Garrad Hassan eventually buying out Natural Power in 1999 and Ripe Software in late 2001. Ripe Software continued to lead development of WindFarmer until version 3.17 around mid 2002 when Ripe Software ceased trading and development of WindFarmer was taken in-house.

ee also

*Wind energy software

*Wind power

References

External links

[http://www.garradhassan.com/products/ghwindfarmer/ GH WindFarmer]

[http://www.naturalpower.com Natural Power]