Application of atmospheric models provides an initial evaluation of large land or offshore locations, as well as a foundation for detailed site analysis.
Techniques for quantifying wind resource characteristics and expected energy production are continually improving. A thorough understanding of wind energy meteorology now goes far beyond the statistical correlation of on-site met tower data to local reference data sources.
WindLogics uses thoroughly tested and proven physics-based atmospheric models to analyze an entire project location at turbine hub height. The modeling process produces the long-term hourly data on wind speed, direction and air density essential for deriving energy production and capacity factors necessary for accurate project valuation.
Our process is specifically based on an analysis of regional weather patterns responsible for creating the wind resource in an area of interest. We combine detailed mesoscale weather modeling, as initialized by data from our archives, and high-resolution microscale wind and terrain modeling. The resulting fine-scale weather understanding provides a high level of detail regarding the site-specific wind flow patterns.
To improve the accuracy of this analysis even further, we often integrate model results with measured on-site data. We then apply our long-term archive of historical weather data (typically 40 years) to produce results that reflect both the high level of detail provided by the integrated wind flow modeling and the long-term distributions shown in the historical record for the site.
The results depict the hub-height, long-term wind resource for the area of interest, which can be analyzed to provide wind resource statistics and turbine-specific energy estimates. These results are used for many purposes – identifying potential project sites, selecting appropriate met tower locations, producing initial turbine layouts, micrositing final project designs and more.
Our wind resource assessment staff has evaluated hundreds of wind energy development projects in 40 states and Canada, in addition to locations in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and Africa. The staff is thoroughly versed in all industry-standard models, and our research team continues to evaluate and improve emerging modeling technologies.
For more on how we apply these techniques, please see our Viewpoint Wind Resource Assessment suite of services.