UK Government-backed software helping increase the energy production of wind farms was today unveiled at the Global Offshore Wind Summit in Fukuoka, Japan.
Kinewell Energy officially launched its latest software solution, Kinewell Wake Optimised Turbine Arrangement (KWOTA), at the event.
Developed with funding from Innovate UK, the cloud-based software uses AI-powered technology to calculate the best position of offshore wind turbines, helping to maximise energy yields by reducing wake losses.
Wake losses – which occur when turbines extract energy from the wind, causing turbines directly downstream to experience slower wind speeds – are one of the major causes of energy loss from wind farms.
Kinewell Energy’s new KWOTA software maximises the value of offshore wind projects and lowers the levelised cost of electricity (LCoE), by choosing turbine locations that minimise CapEx and reduce wake losses, which can limit energy production by 10-20%.
“The KWOTA software uses AI-powered technology to rapidly calculate the most strategic positions to place wind turbines and has the potential to be a real game-changer for the industry,” said Andrew Jenkins, founder of Kinewell Energy.
“Our KWOTA technology is fast, very fast, and significantly reduces calculation times. This allows engineers to undertake more extensive scenario modelling and make better decisions that reduce the LCoE.
“The fact that it is cloud-based also means that, unlike most other products, it can be accessed and used from any location by engineers.
“It is suitable for all offshore wind markets, including the US with its pre-defined turbine location grids. It’s a globally scalable solution.”
Jenkins also said the launch of KWOTA comes at what is a “critical juncture” for the industry.
“With rising costs deterring developers from taking on new projects, as we’ve seen in recent months in the UK, the gains achieved by this technology could be crucial.
“Industrial scale wind-powered energy has a major role to play in helping us achieve Net Zero.
“However, to deploy the vast quantities of offshore wind required in the time demanded by climate science to limit warming to no more than 1.5°C, requires transformational innovation to deliver projects faster and cheaper – and KWOTA does just that.”