A survey of the wind energy resource of Cornwall to examine the influence of settlement patterns and topography on optimum wind turbine size and disposition

Abstract

The introduction of wind turbines has led to complaints about noise, domination and radio frequency interference from neighbouring properties. The aim of the thesis was to determine how the pattern of rural settlement and topography influences the gross technical resource, and how this resource is affected by various combinations of wind turbine size, type and cluster layout. The work consisted of examining in detail every possible site in Cornwall and every large site in England and Wales. This involved establishing a computer data base where each location was described by over three dozen relevant site characteristics. In determining mean annual site wind speeds at hub height the data from twentysix meteorological stations and the results of over fifty Tala kite ascents were used to calibrate four predictive models for site wind speed and to choose the best one for this thesis. Five noise prediction models were tested against field results for twentytwo wind turbines. All the models were found to be inaccurate and a new prediction method with an accuracy of +/— 3^B(A) was developed. A public perception survey of over sixty households situated near six UK , wind turbines, and an examination of the way in which the 1974 Control of Pollution Act and planning policies are put into effect, both further defined acceptable environmental criteria for wind turbines. Noise and dominance were found to be the most serious restraints, whilst radio frequency interference eliminated over 40% of potential sites. The thesis shows that the resource is inversely related to wind turbine size. In Cornwall, the technical resource is 2.5MW for multimegawatt machines rising to 1555KW for quiet machines of 17m to 19m diameter