Satellite-based wind maps as guidance for siting offshore wind farms

• Published in: Wind engineering Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 327 - 338
• Main Authors: Furevik, B. R., Espedal, H. A., Hamre, T., Hasager, C. B., Johannessen, O. M., Jørgensen, B. H., Rathmann, O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England Multi-Science Publishing Company 2003; SAGE Publications
• Subjects: Atmospheric models; Hymenoptera; Image retrieval; Meteorology; Remote sensing; Wind; Wind direction; Wind farms; Wind power; Wind velocity; Denmark
• ISSN: 0309-524X; 2048-402X
• DOI: 10.1260/030952403322770931

Offshore wind farms have started to contribute important supplies of renewable energy. The energy production of a wind farm depends upon the local wind climate and so may be predicted in advance. Usually, the prediction is based on at least one year of accurate wind measurements. Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) wind mapping can be a useful tool in selecting optimal sites and may therefore increase the cost-effectiveness of planning wind farms, e.g., in feasibility studies. In the WEMSAR project wind fields from SAR, in situ measurements and model output from three test-sites have been analysed [1]. Subsequently, a WEMSAR tool for effectively retrieving wind data from SAR images and utilising them in the WAsP micrositing model, has been developed. Testing of the WEMSAR tool at Horns Rev offshore wind farm in Denmark is ongoing.