Satellite-Based Wind Maps as Guidance for Siting Offshore Wind Farms

Abstract

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 project1 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.