Wake effects are studied extensively and automated systems exist that will optimize the turbines' yaw direction to maximize power output (and / or keeping loads in check) of the entire plant instead of just a single turbine.
What's novel here is the effect the counter-clockwise rotation has on the power output of the down stream turbines... I think it hasn't really been a point to research as the costs of blades, maintenance, etc... are assumed to far outweigh the potential gains.
Something else to keep in mind is that it's not as pleasant to look at a park full of turbines spinning in different directions.
Huh. Seen in retrospect, it's sort of obvious. Propeller efficiency can be increased by mounting them in pairs, one behind the other, where the two are rotating in different directions. This reduces the "twisting" movement of the airflow behind the propeller, which is a sign of energy that's lost and not used for propulsion.
Stands to reason that the same thing would be the case with wind turbines, and maybe a little surprising that it hasn't been on anyone's radar before now.
The way this effect works, however, is dependent on a Coriolis-force-induced veer in the atmospheric boundary layer, something that is not an issue in contra-rotating propellers. Unless one understands the mechanism, one will be unaware that, for any given location, it matters which way the first turbine rotates. At best, an arrangement based on an analogy to contra-rotating propellers would be a lucky guess, right for the wrong reasons.
For example: https://www.siemensgamesa.com/en-int/newsroom/2019/11/191126...
What's novel here is the effect the counter-clockwise rotation has on the power output of the down stream turbines... I think it hasn't really been a point to research as the costs of blades, maintenance, etc... are assumed to far outweigh the potential gains.
Something else to keep in mind is that it's not as pleasant to look at a park full of turbines spinning in different directions.