Wind Farm Design with 15 MW Floating Offshore Wind Turbines in Typhoon Regions

Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) are gaining traction as a solution for harnessing wind energy in deepwater regions where traditional fixed-bottom turbines may not be viable due to water depth. This paper investigates the feasibility and optimization of a floating wind farm in a tropical cyclone (typhoon) region, using the IEA 15 MW turbine and semi-submersible floaters. Because of the extreme environment, the FOWT’s mooring system requires nine catenary chains in a 3 × 3 pattern, which has a large footprint. One challenge in the wind farm design is fitting the FOWTs in a limited area and minimizing wake effects. This research compares a linear layout and an offset grid layout, focusing on the effects of spacing and wake dynamics. The results show that while the linear layout maintains optimal power generation without energy loss, the offset grid layout, although resulting in 2% energy loss, offers greater spatial efficiency for larger-scale projects. The findings highlight the importance of balancing energy efficiency with spatial optimization, particularly for large offshore wind farms. This study explores the use of the Gauss–Curl hybrid model in wake modeling, and the methodology employed provides insights into FOWT placement and mooring system arrangement. The result concludes that a wind farm containing twelve (12) units of 15 MW wind turbines can achieve the 7.0 MW/km2 power generation density required by a regulatory government agency. It proves the technical feasibility of a wind farm congested with large mooring systems in a tropical cyclone region.