A physics-based engineering modeling tool developed by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory improves the accuracy of power performance and structural load prediction for wind turbines within a wind farm. The FAST.Farm program addresses the dynamics of, and interaction between, each individual turbine in a wind farm.

An extension of the agency’s OpenFAST open-source wind turbine model, FAST.Farm also considers the The modeling tool will help users predict the power performance and structural loads of wind turbines within a wind farm. Source: Dennis Schroeder, U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratoryphysics of farm-wide ambient wind in the layer of the atmosphere in which wind turbines operate, changes in wake shape with downstream distance, wake movements caused by background turbulence and farm-wide control. The tool is applicable to land-based or offshore wind farms with fixed or floating support structures.

FAST.Farm users can simulate the conditions each turbine in a wind farm will need to withstand throughout its lifetime or design an entire wind farm to achieve minimal structural load and maximum power production. U.S.-based certification bodies, some of which already use OpenFAST for structural certification of turbines, can use FAST.Farm for farm-level loads certification.

FAST.Farm is available through OpenFAST on GitHub.