It is well known that wake losses are a major contributor to the performance degradation of wind farms. In multi-row wind farms, especially offshore installations, these losses can account for 10-20 % of the Annual Energy Production (AEP). Moreover, wake phenomena introduce additional turbulence, resulting in increased loads, vibrations, and potential reductions in the lifetime of wind turbines and foundations. Traditionally, wind turbines have been individually controlled to face the incoming wind, aiming to maximize their individual power production. However, this "individualistic" control strategy overlooks wake effects and is suboptimal for overall wind farm performance.
To address this challenge, a "collaborative" control strategy can be implemented, specifically designed to mitigate wake effects and optimize production at the wind farm level. Among the various control strategies, wake steering has emerged as the most promising and easiest to implement. Wake steering involves intentionally misaligning some or all wind turbines from the incoming wind direction to deflect their wakes. By doing so, the production of downstream wind turbines is improved, leading to an overall increase in energy production. However, developing an effective wake steering control strategy is complex, as it requires a deep understanding of wake physics and the consideration of structural health aspects of the assets.
