Vertical wind speed extrapolation: Modelling using a response surface methodology (RSM) based on unconventional designs

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to develop a predictive model of vertical wind speed profile. Response surface methodology (RSM) is used for this purpose. RSM is a set of statistical and mathematical techniques useful for the development, improvement and optimisation of processes. It is mainly used in industrial processes and is successfully applied in this paper to model the wind speed at the hub height of the wind turbine. An unconventional model is adopted due to the nature of the input parameters which cannot be controlled or modified. The model validation indicators, namely correlation coefficient ([Formula: see text]) and root mean square error (RMSE = 1.02), give excellent results when comparing predicted and measured wind speeds. For the same data, the RSM model gives a better RMSE compared to the conventional power law and the artificial neural network.