THE EFFECT OF WIND DATA RESOLUTION ON THE PREDICTED ENERGY GENERATION OF AN OFFSHORE WIND FARM

To estimate the potential energy of an offshore wind farm, wind data and an assessment framework are necessary. Depending on the type of wind data and the software used for the assessment, many techniques are available to calculate the expected energy generation. This paper investigates how the resolution of the wind data affects the estimated final energy output and revenue predicted for an offshore wind farm. Four wind resolution sets are utilized in the analysis: a 5-year 10-minute time history, a 5-year 6-hour time history, a wind rose, and a wind speed and direction average. The first two data sets are analyzed using a time history analysis procedure that determines the energy generated at each time step including wake loss effects. The third and fourth data sets are analyzed using a probabilistic analysis method. The four analysis procedures are utilized at a variety of locations off the East Coast. At each site, the expected energy as well as revenue is presented for each of the data types so that the trends in varying the wind data resolution can be determined. Conclusions are made based on the accuracy and possible bias associated with low resolutions for estimating potential energy for a specific location. Findings illustrate the value of a time history, as compared to a more simplistic probabilistic analysis, to support conclusions about expected energy production and revenue generated