Wind energy assessment for low complex terrain using reference meteorological mast

Abstract

Abstract The wind flow distribution over semi-complex terrains is evaluated by the roughness factor of the topography and the terrain peculiarities. The energy yield from the turbines in the park is based on the wind parameters extrapolated from the on-site measurement point to wind turbine hug height. For the lower zones of the terrain, the wind shear is influenced by the boundary layer, which can hardly be modeled using only tall tower data and a linear numerical model. The implementation of a second mast (reference), however, gives enough reliable data about the wind parameters at the lower part of the location and is used to adjust the flow and directional behavior from the main mast. The current study shows that for the low complex terrains using the proposed methodology an improvement of the assessed energy yield from the farm with 3% might be anticipated. Furthermore, for more complex terrains where the effect of the orography on the wind shear is more significant the expected improvement should be higher.