Holistic
turbine layout, cable design and transmission choices optimised together
Minutes, not days
for a wind farm study
Concept stage
optimise before design begins
KLOWD is Kinewell’s holistic wind farm design platform. It brings turbine layout, inter-array cable layout and export system technology selection into a single optimisation, rather than treating each as a separate step.
Turbine position affects cable cost and losses. Substation location affects both export cable length and inter-array cable length. The number of substations affects export cable count and feeder complexity. Export cable routing affects the inter-array layout possibilities around it. Designed in isolation, these decisions can work against each other. KLOWD evaluates them together.
KLOWD draws on the same underlying optimisation technology as KLOC, KWOTA and KDOTS, giving a quick, whole-project view at concept stage. It does not replace the depth of the individual tools. For detailed inter-array cable design, turbine layout or transmission system work, KLOC, KWOTA and KDOTS remain the tools for the job.
Why KLOWD?
Accelerate timelines
Get a whole-project view early, without waiting for each discipline to complete its own study first.
Reduce costs
Identify combinations of turbine layout, cable design and transmission choices that traditional step-by-step approaches can miss.
Maximise energy yield
Account for how turbine position and cable losses interact from the earliest stage.
Reduce project risk
Test how concept-level choices in one area affect cost and performance elsewhere.
Holistic optimisation for interdependent decisions
Wind farm design decisions do not sit in isolation. KLOWD is built around the key interactions between them:
Turbine position and cable layout – Where turbines sit affects individual turbine yield, cable cost and cable losses, and how many turbines the site can support.
Substation location and export system – Where the substation sits trades off inter-array cable length against export cable length.
Number of substations and export system – The number of substations affects export cable count, string count and substation feeder complexity.
Export cable routing and inter-array layout – The path taken by the export cable can open up or constrain inter-array cable routing options around it.
KLOWD lets you see these trade-offs together and work through them at concept stage, before they are locked in.
From early concept to confident direction
KLOWD sits at the earliest stage of wind farm design, giving teams a fast, whole-project view before detailed engineering begins.
By surfacing the cost and performance impact of turbine layout, cable design and transmission choices together, KLOWD helps teams take a stronger, better-informed concept into detailed design with KLOC, KWOTA and KDOTS.
Who is it for?
Offshore wind developers & consultants
Auction bodies and their advisors
Investors & insurers
Detail design teams
Strategic decision-makers entering new markets
Developed through the TIGGOR programme
KLOWD was initially developed by engineers and data scientists at Kinewell as part of the TIGGOR programme, funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.
Key features
All features
Early stage decision support
 Whole wind farm lifetime value estimation |
KLOWD is able to pick an optimal turbine layout, IAC design, substation number & location, and transmission system choices based on user inputs, giving a quick evaluation of the whole wind farm project at a very early stage. |
| Whole wind farm optimisation |
Optimise the turbine layout, inter-array cable layout and transimission system technology choices in one combined workflow. |
| Study cloning |
Using KLOWD’s study cloning feature, user can run quick comparison sets of studies without having to re-prescribe all the inputs again, making it easier to simulate multiple scenarios quickly. |
Holistic optimisation
| Automatic substation placement |
KLOWD analyses transmission & turbine type inputs to determine the number of substations needed in the wind farm, then automatically places the substation in the windfarm to maximise connectivity with their allcoated turbines |
| Automatic electric states conversion |
Using user-prescribed wind distribution and turbine power & thrust coefficient curve profiles, KLOWD runs power systems analysis to generate accurate electric states for the turbines, leading to more accurate AEP and losses predictions |
Later stage decision support
| Whole wind farm re-optimisation after detail design changes |
Using the study cloning functionality, KLOWD provides a collaboration platform for different detail design teams to iterate and re-optimise whole wind farm designs after changes made to one of the detail design aspects. |
Use KLOWD to
Optimise coupled design decisions
Run turbine layout and inter-array cable optimisation together, more deeply coupled than KWOTA or KLOC alone
Optimise turbine layout, inter-array cable design and export system choices together
Automatically determine and place the number of substations
Generate accurate AEP and loss predictions using full AC load flow analysis
Understand project value and risk
Support technical and economic evaluation of offshore wind projects during M&A
Provide design due diligence for wind farm projects and portfolios
Explore early-stage concepts
Screen concepts at a very early stage, before committing to detailed design
Build and compare projects across a portfolio
Plan ahead of key milestones
Estimate capacity and revenue ahead of lease rounds
Develop designs collaboratively
Act as a later-stage collaboration platform across multiple design aspects, improving hand-off and iteration between detail design teams
Flexible ways to use KLOWD
Whether you want to build optimisation capability in-house, access our expertise or develop something tailored to your needs, KLOWD can be delivered in the way that works best for your organisation.
Use it
Build optimisation capability in-house
Bring KLOWD in-house with flexible licence options to suit your project requirements. Choose short-term or long-term access, with full training and ongoing support from our team, so you can make the most of KLOWD within your own workflows.
Contact us to book your free discovery call.
Integrate it
Connect KLOWD with your existing tools and workflows.
Integrate KLOWD with your existing systems, data and processes through APIs, making advanced optimisation part of your wider engineering and design workflows.
Contact us to book your free discovery call.
Solve it
Access KLOWD through Kinewell consultancy.
Let Kinewell apply KLOWD and our offshore wind optimisation expertise to your challenge. We can carry out optimisation studies, investigate design options, benchmark existing solutions or support your engineering team with complex project decisions.
Learn more about our consultancy services.
Build it
Build on KLOWD technology.
We can use KLOWD’s underlying algorithms and optimisation technology to create solutions tailored to your requirements. We can adapt existing capabilities, add new modules and functionality, or develop entirely new applications to address specific challenges and workflows.
Explore what’s possible with our custom solutions.