Abstract
Using accurate inputs of wind speed is crucial in wind resource assessment, as predicted power is proportional to the wind speed cubed. This study outlines a methodology for combining multiple ocean satellite winds and winds from WRF simulations in order to acquire the accurate reconstructed offshore winds which can be used for offshore wind resource assessment. First, wind speeds retrieved from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Scatterometer ASCAT images were validated against in situ measurements from seven coastal meteorological stations in South China Sea (SCS). The wind roses from the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) and ASCAT agree well with these observations from the corresponding in situ measurements. The statistical results comparing in situ wind speed and SAR-based (ASCAT-based) wind speed for the whole co-located samples show a standard deviation (SD) of 2.09 m/s (1.83 m/s) and correlation coefficient of R 0.75 (0.80). When the offshore winds (i.e., winds directed from land to sea) are excluded, the comparison results for wind speeds show an improvement of SD and R, indicating that the satellite data are more credible over the open ocean. Meanwhile, the validation of satellite winds against the same co-located mast observations shows a satisfactory level of accuracy which was similar for SAR and ASCAT winds. These satellite winds are then assimilated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model by WRF Data Assimilation (WRFDA) system. Finally, the wind resource statistics at 100 m height based on the reconstructed winds have been achieved over the study area, which fully combines the offshore wind information from multiple satellite data and numerical model. The findings presented here may be useful in future wind resource assessment based on satellite data.
Highlights
The wind resource within the northern South China Sea (SCS) is abundant, which has led to the rapid development of wind energy in recent years
The wind roses of every mast are investigated, and it is shown that the features from Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) are similar to these from in situ measurements, indicating a satisfactory consistency in wind direction at most of the in situ sites except for M1072, partly because of the small statistical number in this site
Simulations in order to acquire the accurate reconstructed offshore winds which can be used for offshore wind resource assessment
Summary
The wind resource within the northern South China Sea (SCS) is abundant, which has led to the rapid development of wind energy in recent years. The problem of quantifying offshore wind resources in this area is becoming increasingly urgent. Because of the high cost of human and material resources in installing and operating meteorological masts offshore, an economical alternative for estimation of winds offshore can be based on satellite observations. This new methodology has its limitations, as absolute accuracy in wind resource assessment is somewhat lower and satellite sampling is done less frequently than the observation achieved from a mast. Satellites can provide spatial information whereas mast observations represent a single point. The spatial resolution which can be attained for satellite wind retrievals is often higher than that of numerical models
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