Identification of optimal wind farm sites for a high wind penetration future

Abstract

A very high wind penetration future will require the use of a great deal of land. After the best wind farm sites have been exploited, wind farm developers will have to balance the need for strong winds with the cost of generation interconnection transmission and with the capacity of the bulk transmission system. A method is proposed to identify the optimal locations for large numbers of new wind farms, which balances localized transmission investment costs, capacity factors of candidate sites, and availability of transmission capacity. A model of the state of Iowa is used to test this method for a variety of future wind penetration levels, and the results are discussed.