An interactive wind farm exhibit for a German science museum

For its 100-year anniversary, the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen, Germany, is organizing a 5-month exhibition at the local science museum "Forum Wissen" to communicate the institute's research to the public in a tangible way. A key element of this exhibit is an interactive wind farm model in a small-scale wind tunnel. Visitors can change the layout of the twelve turbines and observe the power output of each individual turbine as well as of the entire farm. Each turbine can either be moved horizontally along one axis or yawed. By modifying the turbine locations, visitors gain intuition for wind turbine wakes and turbine-turbine interactions, while attempting to optimize total power output. The necessary wind is generated by an array of computer fans. The mechanical, electrical and artistic design and construction were done in-house. Written instructions and recorded interviews accompany the exhibit. Here we present the technical aspects of the exhibit along with first impressions from user interactions in the museum. We hope to inspire others to conduct similar outreach projects.