In the EWiNo research project, the use of new technologies to improve wind modeling and the optimization of wind farms in complex terrain was successfully developed under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES in cooperation with GEO-NET Umweltconsulting GmbH and other renowned partners from the wind industry.

The methods and research approaches developed in the research project are now being further developed for use at alpine sites in cooperation with GEO-NET, Fraunhofer IWES and Windsfeld GmbH. The often very complex flow conditions in the mountains lead to special challenges for project developers, since locations with unfavorable and locations with very good wind conditions are often very close to each other.

In order to validate and further optimize the accuracy of the flow models under these conditions, Fraunhofer IWES, in collaboration with Windsfeld GmbH and the wind experts from GEO-NET, is conducting practical research at the Windsfeld site in Salzburg, using a so-called 'scanning lidar' measuring device. This device is used to measure the wind conditions at almost every point in the planned wind farm area. Using the measurement results and flow models such as FITNAH-3D, which have been specially optimized for this procedure, it is then possible to directly compare the measurement and model results, which significantly reduces the uncertainty.

The very challenging alpine location of Windsfeld, where planning is carried out with turbines that are commonly available on the market, requires an innovative approach to project development. As new standards are set for the development of alpine sites in the course of the project realization, Windsfeld GmbH has set itself the goal of combining various innovative concepts along the wind energy value chain in the project.

The focus here is in particular on the validation and adaptation of the latest technologies for bird detection, the survey and strategic treatment of the topic "icing on site" as well as the energetic densification of the wind farm. In the context of park densification, a process that is seen as an essential component for wind power in the alpine region from both an ecological and economic point of view, there are innovative approaches that Windsfeld GmbH is subjecting to practical tests in the complex alpine terrain at the Windsfeld site. In this way, Windsfeld GmbH contributes to a successful energy transition.

Presentation of Scanning Lidar Methodology at WindEurope Resource Assessment Workshop: https://zenodo.org/record/5722362