TWO-STAGE SIMULATION OPTIMIZATION FOR OPTIMAL DEVELOPMENT OF OFFSHORE WIND FARM UNDER WIND UNCERTAINTY

As one of the most promising renewable energy sources, wind energy reduces consumption of fossil fuels and becomes economically viable with significant environmental benefits. Offshore wind resources are abundant and more stable for sustainable clean energy production. In this paper, we propose stochastic models and optimization methods for optimal development of offshore wind farms. Wind uncertainty is studied by using probabilistic models with seasonal/time scenarios. A two-stage optimization framework is proposed to first determine the optimal number of turbines and then refine the turbine placement for most-productive layout under wind uncertainty. The method is tested using an offshore farm at the south New Jersey coast.