Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
The turbulence will dissipate, but the energy removed from the wind suggests it's less windy around the turbines.
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Some turbine rotor blades are rated up to 80% efficiency, so in this case, 20% of the local energy would be lost, plus there's the turbulence from the tower itself, which is heat.
The 'river' of air passing the wind farm may be of such volume though, that the 'interference' of the turbine is essentially meaningless, compared to the 'supply' of air coming their way.
Knowing the air density, the size of the turbine's disc, overall mechanical efficiency of the turbine, and power output at any given moment, would allow you to reverse-engineer the raw power available in the wind stream passing by.
The difference would be the loss due to the presence of the turbine.
Whatever separations we observe today, implies an acceptable arrangement for the farm operator. All costs are returned within 3-years, after which, they're looking at only maintenance, as the 'fuel' is all free.