Wind Plant Visualizations Jason Kreiselman AWS Scientific, Inc. Albany, NY March 12, 2004

Objectives Understand the basic process of creating a wind plant visualization Explore a case study Identify limitations Look at some examples of photosimulations

WindPro Software Package Produces photosimulations and animations of proposed wind plants Developed by EMD in Denmark 15 years of experience with developing software tools for wind energy projects Used by over 400 businesses worldwide

Creation of the Photosimulation Involves two main procedures:  On-site photography  Establishment of the photosimulation using WindPro

On-site Photography High quality, well-documented photos are key Necessary Documentation:  Camera GPS coordinates, elevation, and height of lens above ground  Camera pan angle and tilt angle  Camera make/model and film type  Lens focal length  Date/time photo was taken  Description of the location where the photo was taken  GPS Error  GPS Coordinates of reference points in the landscape visible through the camera viewfinder

Establishment of the Photosimulation Defining the Project Site Insert a background map Define the coordinate system Add a digital terrain file to define the site elevations Layout the wind turbines on the map

Establishment of the Photosimulation The Turbine Model Define :  Turbine rotor diameter and tower height  Turbine color  Exact dimensions (optional)  Tower  Nacelle  Nose Cone  Blades

Establishment of the Photosimulation The Camera Model Input the field-collected photograph information Transforms points with known elevation and coordinates from a map to a 2D photo Positions 3D models of turbines in the image with the correct proportions

Establishment of the Photosimulation Ensuring Alignment To verify proper positioning of turbines, use: Wireframe terrain overlays Reference points

Establishment of the Photosimulation Image Rendering Calculates proper lighting conditions for the photograph based on date/time and weather conditions Takes into account curvature of the Earth Animation Possibilities

Photosimulation of Wind Plant Actual Wind Plant

Establishment of the Photosimulation Considerations Use a 50mm focal length when photographing  Replicates the human eye  >50mm (telephoto)  objects seem closer/larger than in reality  <50mm (wide angle)  objects seem farther away/smaller than in reality Atmospheric refraction not taken into account  Yields conservative results Wind plants can look drastically different depending on the date, time of day and weather conditions

Render other objects in a photosimulation in addition to wind turbines Create 3D fly-through animations  Aerial views  Ground-based paths Other Visualization Possibilities

Photosimulation of Wind Turbine Actual Wind Turbine