OpenFAST vs. Openwind vs. V Programming Language vs. WindSim Comparison Chart

Openwind is an advanced wind farm design and optimization software developed by UL Solutions, utilized throughout a wind project's development to create optimal turbine layouts that maximize energy production, minimize energy losses, account for plant development costs, and generate overall project efficiencies. The software enables users to optimize layouts and turbine positions to minimize the cost of energy, considering factors such as energy production, operations and maintenance costs, and capital expenditures, including turbine and plant development costs. Openwind incorporates leading-edge wake models, including the Deep Array Wake Model (DAWM), which considers dynamic interactions between turbines and the atmospheric boundary layer, allowing wakes to vary with turbulence intensity and stability. The platform also offers time-series energy capture capabilities, allowing for detailed analysis of energy production over time.

WindSim is a computational fluid dynamics-based wind farm design software that combines advanced numerical processing with compelling 3D visualization in a user-friendly interface. First launched in 2003, WindSim has evolved into a comprehensive suite covering the entire wind farm lifecycle, from initial site screening to power forecasting. The software is utilized worldwide by wind resource and energy assessors, meteorologists, and researchers at wind turbine manufacturers, project developers, government agencies, and academic institutions. WindSim's modular approach includes several key components: the Terrain module generates a 3D model of the area around a wind farm based on elevation and roughness data; the Wind Fields module simulates how terrain affects local wind conditions, accounting for speed variations, direction shifts, and turbulence; the Objects module facilitates the placement of turbines and measurement points within an interactive 3D interface.