Title: A location problem in the field of wind energy

Authors: Elsa Sousa; Miguel Marques; José Carlos Matos; Cláudio Alves

Addresses: Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management (INEGI), University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal ' Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management (INEGI), University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal ' Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management (INEGI), University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal ' Departamento de Produção e Sistemas, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal

Abstract: In the context of planet sustainability, the renewable sources of energy and especially wind have been a good alternative to fossil fuels, since they are both inexhaustible and clean. Though already established and proven, wind energy needs to be competitive forcing to further optimise its use both in terms of technological development as in asset management. This paper presents a new methodology and results concerning a problem that arises in the planning of wind farms: the location of meteorological masts for performance analysis. The masts monitor wind conditions and are used to perform a specific set of tests. The optimal location of these masts allows the maximisation of the dominant wind exposure and the minimisation of the number of disturbed sectors. The SADLEMPE decision support system has been developed recently to address this problem. Here, we present new results provided by this application for a real case study.

Keywords: decision support systems; DSS; wind power; wind energy; facilities location; methodology; operations research; wind farm planning; wind farms; meteorological masts; performance evaluation; case study; mast location.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2016.078898

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2016 Vol.24 No.2, pp.223 - 240

Received: 26 Dec 2014
Accepted: 10 Jan 2015
Published online: 05 Sep 2016 *

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