Wind energy resource assessment of western and central Massachusetts

Abstract

A wind energy resource assessment of western and central Massachusetts has been performed using WindMap, a GIS-assisted software package. Data from five remote locations in western Massachusetts, from five airports, and upper-air data from Albany, NY were entered into WindMap to produce estimated wind speed maps at 50 meters. We find that the northwestern corner of the state has the most potential, as previously expected. The region around Worcester also has large winds, while the Connecticut River Valley near Springfield has Class 2 and 3 wind strengths. In contrast, the ridge tops of much of western Massachusetts have weaker wind speeds than predicted in the Wind Energy Resource Atlas.