Leveraging directivity of wind farm noise to increase profitability

Wind farms (WFs) typically operate in derated modes to comply with noise regulations, resulting in a significant loss of profit. However, following a conservative approach, little importance is given to the directivity of WF noise. Several field measurements have shown that wind turbines (WTs) exhibit a strong directivity pattern, with a difference of 4-6 decibels (dB) between downwind and crosswind directions. This paper highlights the potential benefit of leveraging the directivity of WF noise to improve profitability, while maintaining regulation-compliant noise levels at relevant locations. Annual energy production (AEP) increases by ∼2% after considering the noise directivity of a WF featuring 12 IEA 3.4MW WTs in a 3 × 4 layout based on a real site, where the closest settlement to the WF is in the crosswind position of the dominant wind direction. The differences in power gain considering uncertainties in wind direction and WT noise source models are also studied, followed by a discussion on the directivity models.