An engineering team is designing a turbine array with 8 identical units. Each turbine operates at 80% efficiency and generates 3.2 MW under ideal conditions. Due to tidal turbulence, each unit experiences a 15% reduction in effective power output. What is the total actual power output of the full array?

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:51:17 +0000

## Gaining Attention in the US
As renewable energy infrastructure expands across coastal regions, innovative engineering solutions are under increasing spotlight—particularly in how turbine arrays adapt to challenging tidal environments. Engineers are regularly designing systems with precision-tuned components to maintain performance despite real-world disruptions. One key focus is managing efficiency losses, such as tidal turbulence that reduces output in individual units. Understanding these dynamics is critical for evaluating real-world renewable energy systems, especially in high-exposure marine zones. This context explains a common design scenario: a turbine array with 8 identical units, each rated at 3.2 megawatts under ideal conditions, adjusted for natural environmental losses. ## Why This Engineering Challenge Is Gaining Attention
Moreover, this question reflects a broader trend: the drive to maximize clean energy reliability and output. With the U.S. accelerating offshore wind deployment, optimizing turbine arrays under variable conditions is a real-world challenge engineers address daily. Tidal turbulence introduces a 15% drop in individual unit efficiency, demanding careful calculations to determine the array’s true performance. Improving resilience and accuracy here isn’t just technical—it directly supports sustainable energy goals, economic investment confidence, and public trust in renewable infrastructure. It’s a topic shaping not just design choices, but the future of cleaner, more dependable power generation across the United States. ## How Efficiency and Turbine Output Shape Actual Power
Engineering a turbine array with 8 identical units, each producing 3.2 MW ideally, requires precise accounting of total output. At 80% efficiency, each unit operates at
3200 × 0.80 = 2560 watts, or 2.56 megawatts. Due to tidal turbulence, each turbine suffers a 15% reduction in effective power. This means actual output per unit drops to:
2.56 × (1 – 0.15) = 2.56 × 0.85 = 2.176 MW per turbine.