Optimization of Wind Farm Turbine Layout Including Decision Making Under Risk

This paper presents a new contribution to optimal wind farm design, including the main risk management aspects. The objective of the algorithm is to optimize the expected profits of the wind farm by taking into account that the wind data used to design the wind farm involves some degree of uncertainty that affects the final return of the project. Net present value (NPV) will be used as a figure of the profitability in the proposed method. The maximization of the NPV means the maximization of the cumulative net cash flows (by maximizing the generation of net energy) and minimization of the investment. Both terms mainly depend on the number and type of wind turbines, tower height, and geographical position, among other factors. Therefore, the tool developed in this paper is intended to determine the wind farm configuration most suitable in the presence of risk due to uncertainty in the wind data.