PGE Group has launched a research project on the productivity of offshore wind farms, which is expected to help estimate the profitability of investments in the Baltica 2 and 3 projects.
The aim of the study is to estimate the impact of wind slowdown caused by large projects in their surroundings, i.e. the so-called blockage effect.
According to PGE, this phenomenon will be simulated by numerical fluid mechanics methods.
The research will have a duration of about a year, with the first results expected at the beginning of 2021.
“The phenomenon of slowdown in large offshore wind farms has only been identified recently, in 2018. Expert companies are just creating tools and methods for its estimation, at scientific conferences there is an exchange of opinions on the best ways to simulate the so-called blockage effect,” said Monika Morawiecka , President of the board of PGE Baltica.
“For us as a key company, it is possible to precisely estimate this impact on productivity and to include it in financial models before making an investment decision regarding the construction of the Baltica 2 and 3 offshore wind farms . “
PGE is collaborating on the project with the Institute of Fluid Flow Machinery Gdańsk of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
At the end of 2017, PGE launched a search for a strategic partner to prepare, build and operate offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea with a total capacity of up to 2.5GW.
The first stage of PGE’s offshore program includes the construction of 1,500MW within an area covered by a concession held by Elektrownia Wiatrowa Baltica-2, and 1,045 MW within an area controlled by Elektrownia Wiatrowa Baltica-3, located some 25-30km from the coastal city of Łeba.