Exprodat, energy sector GIS specialist and Getech Group company, has released a new software product called Windfarm Analyst. It is designed to help windfarm planners streamline the complex process of offshore windfarm design (also called ‘micro siting’) in order to maximise the likely energy output produced by a design while reducing its likely operational costs. Uniquely, Windfarm Analyst enables users to holistically plan windfarm layouts by integrating seabed environment data, wind characteristics and electrical cable routing within the market-leading ArcGIS Pro data integration and analysis software.
Traditional windfarm planning processes are often complex, time consuming and data intensive – involving separate siloed processes for turbine placement optimisation, wake effect analysis and cable array design.
Windfarm Analyst integrates these three analytic processes using smart geospatial algorithms to improve windfarm design by:
- Rapidly assessing power potential at proposed offshore locations
- Iterating multiple turbine layout designs around constraints to operations to maximise energy production
- Evaluating wake interference using industry standard methods, with 3D visualisations that clearly depict wind speed variations and power losses
- Generating efficient cable array designs by employing optimised routing algorithms, resulting in significant potential cost savings in construction and maintenance
Unlike existing ‘standalone’ solutions, Windfarm Analyst is fully integrated into ArcGIS Pro. This allows developers to consolidate their work processes, ensuring that all aspects of offshore windfarm design – from macro siting to micro siting – can be managed within one powerful GIS platform.
Richard Webb, GIS Software Product Manager at Exprodat, commented: “Our goal was to eliminate the need for standalone, fragmented software solutions for windfarm planning. By embedding Windfarm Analyst directly into ArcGIS Pro, we’re enabling developers to rapidly identify optimal turbine locations, design efficient cable layouts and accurately model wake effects – all of which translate into increased energy production and significant operational cost savings.”
Windfarm Analyst is available to trial now on the ArcGIS Marketplace, allowing GIS Analysts and windfarm planners to experience its capabilities risk free. Following trial, Exprodat offers the software via a competitively priced subscription model, making it an accessible solution for projects worldwide.
To learn more about Windfarm Analyst, please visit: https://www.exprodat.com/exprodat-products/windfarm-analyst/
Windfarm Analyst 3D visualisation
