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One of the central requirements for the successful operation of wind turbines is knowledge of wind conditions at hub height at the turbine’s location. As wind speed decreases as it travels from the coast towards inland because of increased roughness, but simultaneously increases with its height above ground, wind turbines with noticeably larger hub heights are, as a rule, erected in inland areas with weaker winds.

Current large-scale weather patterns in Europe

Satellitenbild Europa

 

Seasonal cycles of wind speeds and wind electricity output

Wind conditions vary from year to year on account of variable weather conditions. Thus, long-term forecasts for turbine operators and investors on average expected output at a turbine’s location are of great significance in terms of cost-effective operation of wind farms and individual turbines. Wind indices are used to categorise long-term averages. While regional wind indices are suitable only for providing guidance on categorising wind years, use of location-specific wind indices can help to determine more precise forecasts on expected outputs over 30 or 40-year periods.

 

 

Knowledge of wind conditions at a wind turbine’s location is very important to turbine operators and investors for use of wind energy. Knowledge of local wind conditions is required in order to forecast the potential output of a wind farm. In general, in Germany, wind speeds decrease as they move inland from coastal areas because of increased roughness. This phenomenon occurs alongside wind speeds that increase with height. Wind speeds in low mountain range areas are considerably higher than might be expected, for example..

 

Current wind flow and wind speeds (300m above ground level) around the world

 

Complementary annual cycles of wind and solar electricity

In spite of varying wind speed distribution at various wind energy locations, monthly output from wind turbines is shown to follow a typical annual cycle. The highest wind electricity output is achieved during the winter months, when demand and consumption are highest. In contrast to wind energy photovoltaic electricity production follows a daily cycle which coincides with consumer demand (the highest demand for electricity is at midday). Wind and solar electricity production complement each other very well over the course of the year. Offshore wind farms achieve excellent results. The level of a coal power plant is reached at about 4,000 peak load hours.


Location forecasts for wind farms: average annual wind speed is not enough

Average annual wind speed is an important factor in assessing the suitability of wind farm locations. Because wind speed is calculated with the cube of wind turbine capacity, use of the average value along does not provide meaningful information on yield at the location. Locations with the same average annual wind speed values can fluctuate significantly over the course of a year in relation to annual energy yields due to differences in wind speeds. Therefore, addition information on statistical distribution of location-specific wind speeds over a year-long period is relevant in assessing wind conditions and yield at a given location.

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    Adwen GmbH

    Adwen is a 50/50 joint venture between AREVA and GAMESA, two global energy leaders.With a 2.8-GW pipeline, 5 MW and 8 MW turbines, and extensive capabilities in offshore wind, Adwen aims to achieve a 20% market share in Europe by 2020. The joint-venture is responsible for the design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and services of offshore wind turbines. Read More
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    PNE Wind AG

    With its headquarters in Cuxhaven, the PNE WIND Group plans and realises wind farm projects on land and on the high seas. In doing so, its core competence lies in the development, planning, financing, operation, sales and service of wind farms. To date, the PNE Wind Group has already developed wind farms with a total nominal output amounting to more than 2,000 MW. Read More
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    wpd AG

    wpd is a developer and operator of wind farms both onshore and offshore, acting worldwide. Over the last 20 years, wpd has installed 1,900 wind turbines with a total of 3,600 MW. Currently 1,200 MW are held as assets. A group staff of 1,500 is committed to wind energy in 18 countries. Internationally, wpd is planning projects in the scope of 6,700 MW onshore and 8,000 MW offshore. Read More
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