Windfarm - project Sustainable Polder
Stalemate Context:
Municipality : "The current preferred alternative is the "best plan" according to the Municipality, but it remains a "compromise": it will never succeed in satisfying everyone. It remains a balancing of interests. We will all have to contribute to the energy objective, and as we have now made the calculations we will need 9?"
Other Stakeholders : "The alternative does not fit in any way: not within the framework, not within the energy objective. It is wishful thinking, without realism. The current plan has only losers. According to other Stakeholders there will be actions. We are 6-0 behind, and we do not have the resources like the Municipality, developers or a collective of farmers. We will take action unless the Municipality really comes to talk to us now. We have nothing against windmills in principle. A good plan could fit. However, we do not want to be guinea pigs."
Technical context: This wind farm design project is to generate renewable energy for the city Oss (and DenBosch). To meet its energy goals, the Municipality wants to develop a wind farm with a number of turbines, which should ideally be as close to the center as possible to minimize energy losses. It is estimated that no more than 12 turbines are needed. Energy generation depends not only on the number and location of the turbines but also on the turbine height and the average wind speed required, among other factors. These four controllable (design) variables can still be varied. The current search c.q. preferred area is located on a (radius) line from the center of Oss to the west and extends to 10km inside the municipal border. The wind farm should be located at least 2km outside the center of Oss. The height of the turbines will not exceed 150m (hub height). Typical uncontrollable variables are : rotation diameter; type of power converter ; specific local environmental data etc.
The different design performance functions depend on the aforementioned design variables. Below are the relations for three performance functions between power genration; noise hindrance and bird mortality on the one hand and the four design variables on the other.
Social context: This wind farm design as part of sustainable polder development, demonstrates a multi-objective design optimisation (MODO) approach for the decision on the number of turbines at a certain location. The creative conflicts of ineterests are : (a) energy - profit for the service provider; (b) health- noise hindrance for the local residents; (c) environment - bird mortality for the ecologists; amogst others such as health & environment - particle pollution, magnetic cable radiation, horizon-pollution, and shadow cast. - particle pollution. From its contribution to the national energy transition, the Municipality has a minimum supply requirement of renewable energy ('RES-bijdrage'). The service provider wants to maximize the energy power generation within a positive business-case framework. The objectives of all other stakeholders should be minimized.
We will first describe the integrative design problem by running through the Odesys threefold mathematical statement framework, resulting in design performance-, objective-, and preference functions.
Objectives
Design Variables
Service provider (maximize profit)
x1: distance to city centre (2 km < x1 < 10 km)
Local residents (minimize noise hinderance)
x2: number turbines (0 < x2 < 12 #)
Ecologist (minimze bird mortality)
x3: turbine (hub) height (50 < x3 < 150 m)
RIVM health (minimize particle polution)
x4: average rated wind speed (3 < x4 < 15 m/s)
more Objectives:
Local residents (minimize magnetic radiation)
Design performance functions
Wind turbine generated power
Noise hinderance
Bird mortality
Particle pollution
Constraint
Municipality (local energy target)
more Constraints:
Noise constraint (maximum 42 dB on facade)