Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning Algorithms

Wind energy is a crucial renewable resource for sustainable power generation; however, challenges such as high initial investment costs and difficulties in identifying efficient locations hinder its widespread adoption. Accurate wind energy forecasting is essential for energy planning, trading, and...

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Main Authors: Gökhan Ekinci, Harun Kemal Ozturk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/5/1125
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author Gökhan Ekinci
Harun Kemal Ozturk
author_facet Gökhan Ekinci
Harun Kemal Ozturk
author_sort Gökhan Ekinci
collection DOAJ
description Wind energy is a crucial renewable resource for sustainable power generation; however, challenges such as high initial investment costs and difficulties in identifying efficient locations hinder its widespread adoption. Accurate wind energy forecasting is essential for energy planning, trading, and grid optimization. This study presents short-term, medium-term, and long-term –wind power forecasts for the Söke–Çatalbük Wind Power Plant in Aydın, Turkey, using meteorological data and production records from 2018 to 2022. Five machine learning algorithms were employed—Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), K-Nearest Neighbors Regression (KNN), and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP ANN)—utilizing both MinMax and Standard Scaling methods. Prediction performance was evaluated using Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Coefficient of Determination (R<sup>2</sup>), and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) metrics. The results indicate that Min-Max Scaling improved short-term predictions with KNN, while XGBoost and Random Forest provided more stable and accurate forecasts in medium- and long-term predictions. Additionally, Standard Scaling significantly enhanced MLP ANN’s performance in medium-term forecasting. These findings provide practical insights for optimizing wind energy forecasting models, which can improve energy trading strategies, enhance grid stability, and support informed decision making in renewable energy investments. The results are particularly valuable for energy planners and policymakers seeking to maximize the efficiency of wind power plants and facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources into national grids more effectively.
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spelling doaj-art-fb822080f12d4e76b84b81124b782b952025-08-20T02:05:18ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-02-01185112510.3390/en18051125Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning AlgorithmsGökhan Ekinci0Harun Kemal Ozturk1Department of Motor Vehicles and Transportation Technologies, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Usak University, 64200 Usak, TürkiyeDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pamukkale University, 20160 Pamukkale, TürkiyeWind energy is a crucial renewable resource for sustainable power generation; however, challenges such as high initial investment costs and difficulties in identifying efficient locations hinder its widespread adoption. Accurate wind energy forecasting is essential for energy planning, trading, and grid optimization. This study presents short-term, medium-term, and long-term –wind power forecasts for the Söke–Çatalbük Wind Power Plant in Aydın, Turkey, using meteorological data and production records from 2018 to 2022. Five machine learning algorithms were employed—Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), K-Nearest Neighbors Regression (KNN), and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP ANN)—utilizing both MinMax and Standard Scaling methods. Prediction performance was evaluated using Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Coefficient of Determination (R<sup>2</sup>), and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) metrics. The results indicate that Min-Max Scaling improved short-term predictions with KNN, while XGBoost and Random Forest provided more stable and accurate forecasts in medium- and long-term predictions. Additionally, Standard Scaling significantly enhanced MLP ANN’s performance in medium-term forecasting. These findings provide practical insights for optimizing wind energy forecasting models, which can improve energy trading strategies, enhance grid stability, and support informed decision making in renewable energy investments. The results are particularly valuable for energy planners and policymakers seeking to maximize the efficiency of wind power plants and facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources into national grids more effectively.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/5/1125wind energymachine learningforecastingrenewable energymulti-horizon forecasting
spellingShingle Gökhan Ekinci
Harun Kemal Ozturk
Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning Algorithms
Energies
wind energy
machine learning
forecasting
renewable energy
multi-horizon forecasting
title Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning Algorithms
title_full Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning Algorithms
title_fullStr Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning Algorithms
title_full_unstemmed Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning Algorithms
title_short Forecasting Wind Farm Production in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms Using Various Machine Learning Algorithms
title_sort forecasting wind farm production in the short medium and long terms using various machine learning algorithms
topic wind energy
machine learning
forecasting
renewable energy
multi-horizon forecasting
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/5/1125
work_keys_str_mv AT gokhanekinci forecastingwindfarmproductionintheshortmediumandlongtermsusingvariousmachinelearningalgorithms
AT harunkemalozturk forecastingwindfarmproductionintheshortmediumandlongtermsusingvariousmachinelearningalgorithms