Wind Profiler Completes Offsite Campaign

Published: 18 January 2012

Between November 2010 and November 2011, a handful of meteorological instruments—including Doppler sodar, ultrasonic anemometers, and one of ARM’s radar wind profilers—gathered massive amounts of data for the Columbia Basin Wind Energy Study. To ensure that the data collected represent conditions experienced by real wind plants, the instruments were placed next to an operating wind farm on the eastern border of Washington and Oregon. Now the research team begins wading through the data to understand complex wind patterns and to evaluate how well atmospheric computer models predict winds.

Each instrument used in the campaign helped characterize wind behavior at different heights, from 3 to 1,400 meters above the ground. These “profiles” provide a complete picture of the way wind moves at different heights, especially over the area swept by turbine blades. Data from the yearlong campaign, led by researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will be used to improve wind parameters in atmospheric computer models. This could lead to cost savings from better forecasts for utility operators and more efficient design and operation of wind turbines and wind plants. More information is available in the Wind Program Newsletter from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.