Wake impact of constructing a new offshore wind farm zone on an existing downwind cluster: a case study of the Belgian Princess Elisabeth zone using FLORIS

Abstract A first assessment of the potential wake impact of the future Princess Elisabeth wind-farm cluster on the existing Belgian wind farms is performed. We consider 3 different wake models coupled to a blockage model implemented in FLORIS, and study 15 design scenarios for the future cluster. Simulations show that, although intra-cluster wake effects are qualitatively comparable, inter-cluster effects differ strongly among model setups, confirming results in recent literature. With increasing new-zone capacity, a trend of higher existing-zone AEP loss caused by the new zone is observed, as well as an incentive to use turbines with higher individual rating. Quantitatively, AEP loss due to inter-cluster wakes can reach up to 0.8% for the full existing zone as compared to a reference case without the Princess Elisabeth zone. Further, worst-case conditions with west-southwesterly winds show the new zone induces an inter-cluster power loss of 6% for the entire existing zone, with extremes up to 20% for specific turbines.