MERIDIONAL

The wind industry is developing wind turbines and airborne wind energy devices that operate at altitudes well above the well-studied surface layer. A full understanding of the unsteady inflow conditions that drive loads and performance at these altitudes is lacking.

MERIDIONAL will provide a comprehensively validated tool chain based on an open-source platform that will draw on an integrated knowledge and data hub to allow the efficient and accurate assessment of the performance and loads experienced by onshore, offshore, and airborne wind energy systems. This tool chain can be used for component, device, and plant level planning and operation.

It will consist of models that capture the unsteady time-resolved inflow structures that drive performance and loads within the wind plant, incorporating inter- and intra-farm turbine interactions. Inflow conditions will be analyzed and modelled beyond the surface layer to capture the conditions within and above the atmospheric boundary layer. This is critical to a full understanding of the loads and performance of wind farms and airborne wind energy devices.

Model validation will be underpinned by a range of high-quality, unique datasets drawing on high-fidelity simulations and kite-borne, lidar, drone, and mast measurements from field test campaigns in complex terrain, both offshore and airborne. The strength of the tool chain results from its ability to develop different models for different situations, using higher order approaches (e.g., meso- and microscale LES) when required and lower order models (physics or data-driven) where these are sufficient to predict loads and performance accurately.

The knowledge and data hub will allow users of the tool chain to draw on a wide range of existing and project-generated measurement and simulation data, making it possible to carry out site specific analysis at any location. MERIDIONAL will enable stakeholders to increase wind plant efficiency and reduce material costs through less conservative design.