Global-local analysis of cost-optimal onshore wind turbine configurations considering wind classes and hub heights

This study aims to contribute to the field of energy systems modelling with high-resolution cost -opti-mised onshore wind turbine configurations and an openly available hourly data of wind electricity yield on a global-local scale. It introduces a more rigorous and novel methodology to estimate the wind electricity yield for lowest cost electricity generation by considering different wind classes and hub height related capital expenditures along with limitations induced by extreme wind gusts. Based on up-to-date financial and technical assumptions, including the latest power curves for ENERCON wind tur-bines, the results of this study show that there exists a certain hub height that enables wind turbines to deliver the lowest cost electricity and growing beyond that height does not pay-off the rise in capital expenditures needed for stronger foundations and taller and sturdier towers. Class III turbines provide higher full load hours and more stable hourly generation profiles, but in some areas higher cost does not pay-off or wind gusts become a limiting factor. The application of this novel multi-turbine multi-hub height high resolution optimisation results to energy system modelling would significantly increase the quality of modelling by improved estimation of the wind generation cost at different locations. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study provides a more rigorous and novel methodology to estimate wind electricity yield, considering factors such as wind classes, hub height related capital expenditures, and limitations induced by extreme wind gusts. The results show that there exists an optimal hub height for cost-effective electricity generation, and exceeding this height does not justify the increase in capital expenditures. Additionally, turbines of different wind classes exhibit variations in full load hours and hourly generation profiles.