Method for estimating wind characteristics at potential wind-energy-conversion sites
A method of estimating wind characteristics at potential wind energy conversion sites for which no meteorological data are available is presented and discussed. The method extrapolates standard National Weather Service wind observations to a defined system hub height using a power law relationship. Several observations are averaged using an inverse distance squared weighting factor to get a site estimate. The site estimate is then adjusted for local topographical effects. Long histories of hourly observations (15 to 20 years) are used to generate statistical characteristics of the estimated site winds, including mean wind speed, frequency distributions of wind speed (including seasonal and diurnal variations), wind roses and run durations of selected classes of wind speeds. The results of applying the method to estimate wind characteristics at eight sites using weather observations from one to five nearby sites are presented.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA); Geomet, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6777739
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-3197; ON: DE82008675
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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