An Experimental Survey on the Interaction of Wind Turbines over Complex Terrain

This work uses particle image velocimetry and power measurements to reveal the wake characteristics of the interaction between in-line scaled-down wind turbine arrays with 2D hills. We focused on the streamwise momentum recovery mechanisms in the windward side of the hills, from gentle to steep-up slopes. Results show that the advection terms are more significant than turbulence as a wake recovery mechanism with steeper hill slopes. We also show that the turbulence reduces due to the flow acceleration leading to greater power availability at the top of the hills. Furthermore, the results presented here can be used for wind turbines layout optimization in complex terrains.