How do turbulent fluctuations in the atmosphere affect a wind turbine and its wake?
To promote the expansion of wind energy in the United States, advances in wind turbine technology are required to enhance reliability of existing turbines and ensure robust site-specific design of next-generation turbines. Improved understanding and characterization of inflow conditions on turbines in complex terrain would help engineers better understand, model, and design for turbine loading, turbine performance, and power plant performance. This improved understanding can develop from an integration of advanced observational capabilities with innovative approaches to atmospheric simulation. Our team, from CU-Boulder, NOAA ESRL’s atmospheric remote sensing group, NREL NWTC, and LLNL, will deploy high-resolution atmospheric observations (from the High-Resolution Doppler lidar, or HRDL, as well as meteorological towers with sonic anemometers) in the vicinity of a modern 2.3 MW turbine. These unique observations will be coupled with advanced atmospheric modeling capabilities. High-resol
