Power and Thrust Curve Selection: Precision Control for Wind Energy Modeling

July 3, 2025 Articles & PR | Product Update | Offshore | Onshore 5 min read time

Wind resource assessment and financial modeling in wind energy, both for offshore wind farms and onshore wind farms, rely on accurate turbine performance data. A critical part of this is selecting the right power and thrust curves, which influence everything from wake loss modeling to LCOE calculation. Youwind brings greater transparency and flexibility to this process, allowing users to manually define which curves to apply to each scenario.

Why Curve Selection Matters in Wind Farm Modeling

Each wind turbine’s power and thrust performance is characterized by multiple curve sets, often tailored to different air density conditions. Using a generic or mismatched curve can skew performance predictions, especially in advanced calculations like bankable yield assessments or environmentally constraint design.

Previously, Youwind automatically selected the curve closest to the site’s air density, but the choice wasn’t always visible or user-controlled. Now, developers and analysts can make informed, scenario-specific choices with full traceability.

Introducing Manual Power and Thrust Curve Control

A dedicated Power and Thrust Curves section has been added to the Turbine and Capacity sidebar. This gives users the ability to:

Select one specific curve to lock it into calculations, ensuring absolute control over assumptions.
Select multiple curves to allow dynamic selection of the most air density-aligned option among them.
Review which curve is applied directly in the Site Power and Thrust Curve section.

This feature also interacts intelligently with the platform’s air density adjustment feature. If activated under Wind Resource > Air Density Adjustment, the system automatically refines the selected curve using the site-specific air density value, enhancing realism and project bankability.

Practical Use Cases: From Site Screening to Financial Modeling

This curve control functionality strengthens Youwind’s role as a seamless wind farm planning tool, especially when applied in contexts like:

Early stage screening: Testing turbine performance under varying air densities.
Wind farm layout optimization: Selecting curves that align with localized wind characteristics improves wake interaction accuracy.
Financial modeling for wind energy: Matching curve performance to economic forecasts avoids over/underestimation in LCOE calculation.
Scenario comparison for wind farms: Analysts can now isolate the impact of performance assumptions across technical and financial outcomes.

By making the performance assumptions fully visible and editable, Youwind continues to enable data-driven decisions in wind energy with unmatched traceability.

Designed with Collaboration and Confidence in Mind

This feature is part of Youwind’s broader commitment to a collaborative workflow. In large teams or consultancy environments, this means every stakeholder can understand and validate the modeling basis, fostering transparency and efficiency.

With the manual power and thrust curve selection, Youwind ensures that wind energy developers, onshore or offshore, can model their projects with precision and confidence. This aligns directly with our mission: to provide grounded digital solutions that are integrated, expert-backed, and bankable.

Written by Ignasi Badia Puyol, Wind and Development Engineer

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