A Subgrid Parameterization for Wind Turbines in Weather Prediction Models with an Application to Wind Resource Limits

2016 ◽  
pp. 103-119
Author(s):  
B Fiedler ◽  
A Adams
2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. H. Fiedler ◽  
A. S. Adams

A subgrid parameterization is offered for representing wind turbines in weather prediction models. The parameterization models the drag and mixing the turbines cause in the atmosphere, as well as the electrical power production the wind causes in the wind turbines. The documentation of the parameterization is complete; it does not require knowledge of proprietary data of wind turbine characteristics. The parameterization is applied to a study of wind resource limits in a hypothetical giant wind farm. The simulated production density was found not to exceed1 W m−2, peaking at a deployed capacity density of5 W m−2and decreasing slightly as capacity density increased to20 W m−2.


Author(s):  
S. Jafari ◽  
T. Sommer ◽  
N. Chokani ◽  
R. S. Abhari

Prospecting for wind farm sites and pre-development studies of wind energy projects require knowledge of the wind energy resource over large areas (that is, areas of the order of 10’000 km2 and greater). One approach to detail this wind resource is the use of mesoscale numerical weather prediction models. In this paper, the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to examine the effect of horizontal grid resolution on the fidelity of the predictions of the wind resource. The simulations are made for three test cases, Switzerland (land area 39’770 km2), Iowa (land area 145,743 km2) and Oregon (land area 248’647 km2), representing a range of terrain types, from complex terrain to flat terrain, over the period from 2006–2010. On the basis of comparisons to the data from meteorological masts and tall communication towers, guidelines are given for the horizontal grid required in the use of mesoscale models of large area wind resource assessment, especially over complex terrain.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Pronk ◽  
Nicola Bodini ◽  
Mike Optis ◽  
Julie K. Lundquist ◽  
Patrick Moriarty ◽  
...  

Abstract. Mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are generally considered more accurate than reanalysis products in characterizing the wind resource at heights of interest for wind energy, given their finer spatial resolution and more comprehensive physics. However, advancements in the latest ERA-5 reanalysis product motivate an assessment on whether ERA-5 can model wind speeds as well as a state-of-the-art NWP model – the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. We consider this research question for both simple terrain and offshore applications. Specifically, we compare wind profiles from ERA-5 and the preliminary WRF runs of the Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit Long-term Ensemble Dataset (WTK-LED) to those observed by lidars at site in Oklahoma, United States, and in a U.S. Atlantic offshore wind energy area. We find that ERA-5 shows a significant negative bias (~ −1 m s−1 ) at both locations, with a larger bias at the land-based site. WTK-LED-predicted wind speed profiles show a slight negative bias (~ −0.5 m s−1 ) offshore and a slight positive bias (~ +0.5 m s−1) at the land-based site. Surprisingly, we find that ERA-5 outperforms WTK-LED in terms of the centered root-mean-square error (cRMSE) and correlation coefficient, for both the land-based and offshore cases, in all atmospheric stability conditions. We find that WTK-LED’s higher cRMSE is caused by its tendency to overpredict the amplitude of the wind speed diurnal cycle both onshore and offshore.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4169
Author(s):  
Giovanni Gualtieri

The reliability of ERA5 reanalyses for directly predicting wind resources and energy production has been assessed against observations from six tall towers installed over very heterogeneous sites around the world. Scores were acceptable at the FINO3 (Germany) offshore platform for both wind speed (bias within 1%, r = 0.95−0.96) and capacity factor (CF, at worst biased by 6.70%) and at the flat and sea-level site of Cabauw (Netherlands) for both wind speed (bias within 7%, r = 0.93−0.94) and CF (bias within 6.82%). Conversely, due to the ERA5 limited resolution (~31 km), large under-predictions were found at the Boulder (US) and Ghoroghchi (Iran) mountain sites, and large over-predictions were found at the Wallaby Creek (Australia) forested site. Therefore, using ERA5 in place of higher-resolution regional reanalysis products or numerical weather prediction models should be avoided when addressing sites with high variation of topography and, in particular, land use. ERA5 scores at the Humansdorp (South Africa) coastal location were generally acceptable, at least for wind speed (bias of 14%, r = 0.84) if not for CF (biased by 20.84%). However, due to the inherent sea–land discontinuity resulting in large differences in both surface roughness and solar irradiation (and thus stability conditions), a particular caution should be paid when applying ERA5 over coastal locations.


Author(s):  
Djordje Romanic

Tornadoes and downbursts cause extreme wind speeds that often present a threat to human safety, structures, and the environment. While the accuracy of weather forecasts has increased manifold over the past several decades, the current numerical weather prediction models are still not capable of explicitly resolving tornadoes and small-scale downbursts in their operational applications. This chapter describes some of the physical (e.g., tornadogenesis and downburst formation), mathematical (e.g., chaos theory), and computational (e.g., grid resolution) challenges that meteorologists currently face in tornado and downburst forecasting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2179
Author(s):  
Pedro Mateus ◽  
Virgílio B. Mendes ◽  
Sandra M. Plecha

The neutral atmospheric delay is one of the major error sources in Space Geodesy techniques such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and its modeling for high accuracy applications can be challenging. Improving the modeling of the atmospheric delays (hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic) also leads to a more accurate and precise precipitable water vapor estimation (PWV), mostly in real-time applications, where models play an important role, since numerical weather prediction models cannot be used for real-time processing or forecasting. This study developed an improved version of the Hourly Global Pressure and Temperature (HGPT) model, the HGPT2. It is based on 20 years of ERA5 reanalysis data at full spatial (0.25° × 0.25°) and temporal resolution (1-h). Apart from surface air temperature, surface pressure, zenith hydrostatic delay, and weighted mean temperature, the updated model also provides information regarding the relative humidity, zenith non-hydrostatic delay, and precipitable water vapor. The HGPT2 is based on the time-segmentation concept and uses the annual, semi-annual, and quarterly periodicities to calculate the relative humidity anywhere on the Earth’s surface. Data from 282 moisture sensors located close to GNSS stations during 1 year (2020) were used to assess the model coefficients. The HGPT2 meteorological parameters were used to process 35 GNSS sites belonging to the International GNSS Service (IGS) using the GAMIT/GLOBK software package. Results show a decreased root-mean-square error (RMSE) and bias values relative to the most used zenith delay models, with a significant impact on the height component. The HGPT2 was developed to be applied in the most diverse areas that can significantly benefit from an ERA5 full-resolution model.


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