Optimal wind turbine selection methodology: A case-study for Búrfell, Iceland

The efficient selection of a wind turbine at a given site is presently limited by the developer's knowledge of what turbines are available on the market, and their inability to test and compare available turbine designs before investing. Poor turbine selection results in a financially sub-optimal investment. In this paper we develop an approach to optimize theoretical wind turbine designs based on Blade Element Momentum theory, multiple Evolutionary Computing algorithms, and a realistic cost model. The physical model was verified and tested using raw, real-world data from a met mast and two Enercon E-44 turbines installed at Búrfell, Iceland.