windIO

A multi-language library to write inputs / output files

Motivation

Wind Energy software ecosystem is a mess. There are many different softwares and research models that are in competition, and introduced their own defined input and output files. The compatibility between one tool or another is completely left for at the discretion of the developers and the users. As the ecosystem is mostly closed source those file convertors are sitting on the companies or individual hard disc rotting sometime unused, until they become irrelevant. This condition makes it very difficult for users to get second opinion on their analysis by using another tool, or to create system engineering workflows by combining different design and analysis tools together. This library is an attempt to offer a standard type of I/O files, fully documented and flexible enough to cover most use cases. It is the idea that each model and code developers can create a file translator to offer a compatibility to this file format. This library is also a core element of the FUSED-Wind framework, which offers a code-agnostic and model-agnostic ontology to formulate analysis and design workflows, and to connect models of different level of fidelities together.

Concept

The library is using json-schema to enforce a taxonomy of how the files should be organized. That means that the files used in the library will be automatically checked to see if they fulfill the requirements of the schema. Both JSON and YAML file format will be supported. The library will contain an implementation of the file reader/writer in different languages (e.g. Python, Matlab, Javascript). Additionally some standard visualization functions will be available for some of the scripting languages implementations.

Plugins

Additional file format plugins will be also supported as pull-request contribution to the library (e.g. WAsP power curve .wtf file, WRF NETCDF file, ). The library will also offer the possibility to upload plugin visualization functions in different languages.

Documentation

The library will eventually also build a documentation of the file schema. Additional explanations tutorials and examples will be presented in the library documentation and source code to help developers to design their tools around this library.

Dependencies

• numpy
• utm
• pyyaml
• jsonschema

Running the tests

You can use py.test:

  $ py.test

Or even better tox:

  $ tox

Classes

WTLayout

Defines a wind turbine layout.

turbines:
  t1:
    name: T1
    position: [0.0, 0.0]
    type: Type1
  ...
  t4:
    name: T4
    position: [0.0, 1000.0]
    type: Type1
turbine_types:
  Type1:
     hub_height: 65.0
     rotor_diameter: 92.6
     rated_power: 2300.0
     cut_in_wind_speed: 4.0
     cut_out_wind_speed: 25.0
     rated_wind_speed: 14.0
     air_density: 1.225
     power_curve:
        - [3.0,     0.0]
          ...
        - [25.0, 2300.0]
     c_t_curve:
        - [3.0,  0.00]
          ...
        - [25.0, 0.05]