Impact of hub height for enhanced performance of wind turbines under varying atmospheric stability

While atmospheric stability significantly impacts wind farm performance, the relationship between stability conditions, the influence of hub height, and wake behaviour remains poorly understood, creating a critical barrier to maximizing wind energy efficiency. This study presents the first comprehensive investigation of these coupled effects using Large Eddy Simulation with actuator line modelling, enabling detailed analysis of stability-dependent wake dynamics. Precursor simulations generate realistic unstable, neutral and stable atmospheric inflows, with model validation against Nibe turbine data. Results reveal previously unquantified relationships between stability and wake recovery, with rates varying by up to 37 % between unstable and stable conditions. The investigation of different hub heights shows unexpectedly large stability-dependent benefits, achieving power increases of 10.49 % for single turbines and 10.92 %/8.31 % for upstream/downstream turbines in stable conditions - precisely when wake effects are most problematic. Analysis demonstrates that while increased hub height primarily affects vertical velocity profiles, strategic height adjustment can effectively mitigate wake losses under varying atmospheric conditions. These findings establish new principles for stability-aware wind farm design enhancement, with significant implications for renewable energy deployment efficiency. • Identifies a key gap in wind farm performance by showing stability alters hub height selection. • Integrates LES and actuator line methods to model stability–height effects on wake dynamics. • Quantifies stability–wake recovery links, showing up to 37 % variation with design implications. • Reveals a new mitigation strategy via hub height shifts, achieving 10.49 % power gain in stable flow. • Provides the first stability-aware framework bridging models and real atmospheric conditions.