A Multiscale Approach to Micrositing of Wind Turbines

Abstract

A four level multiscale model capable of modeling local wind and turbulence fields for micro and macrositing of wind turbines is described. The system is based on a coupling involving an operational numerical weather prediction model, a mesoscale model and a local turbulence prediction Computational Fluid Dynamics code. Existence of a large variation in the spatio-temporal scales in an atmospheric flow necessitates such a coupling between different models each of which handles a particular range of scales. The system which is first of its kind, is operational at nineteen Norwegian airports spread throughout the country and is giving an hourly prediction of the local wind field and turbulence intensity on a daily basis. The system is thus in a continuous phase of validation with the meteorological data recorded at the airports. The tool as such can also be used for macro and micrositing of wind turbines. In this report, we first present a comparison of the wind rose computed by different numerical models with the observed ones and then explain the potential of the tool for micrositing through its application to an existing wind park in Norway