Projects

The New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) project will develop a new reference methodology for wind resource assessment and wind turbine site suitability based on a mesoscale to microscale mode-chain. This new methodology will produce a more reliable wind characterization than current models, leading to a significant reduction of uncertainties on wind energy production and wind conditions that affect the design of wind turbines.

The objectives of the Mesoscale-Microscale Coupling benchmarks are the creation, assessment, and validation of state-of-the-science atmospheric simulation methodologies to incorporate important environmental drivers of microscale flow characteristics into microscale wind plant simulations.  These improvements are aimed at improving the wind energy industry’s predictive capability. The investigations will utilize a series of case studies culled from several recent and current observational campaigns, incorporating increasingly complex meteorology, topography and terrain conditions.  These include the SWiFT site in Texas, the WFIP II site in the US Pacific Northwest, and data from the New European Wind Atlas.