Turbulence wake effect

At wind farms where many towers are clustered together, turbulence generated by the massive blades can degrade the performance of other windmills by as much as 10-20 percent. The same turbulence can also trigger vibrations in turbines downwind, leading to component fatigue, excess maintenance costs, and premature part failure. The turbines' wake effect is clearly seen at the Horns Rev offshore wind farm in the North Sea west of Denmark.