How can we create a map of the near-ground wind resource for a potential development site?
W.-G. Früh(1), A. Elliott(2), K. Velayutham(2) 1. Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK 2. Katrick Technologies, 10 Montrose St, Glasgow G1 1RE, UK 2025-07-25

Abstract

To overcome the challenges to make small-scale wind energy projects cost-effective and a useful contribution to energy consumption  both, further small-scale turbine development is needed to maximise capture of the near-ground resource which is characterised by low mean wind speeds and high turbulence intensity, and a robust site evaluation and installation methodology to ensure placing devices in the best places and to have a reliable and realistic estimation of devices to be installed in those places.   This paper focusses on the second requirement and develops a framework which combines some local wind speed measurements, readily available wind resource databases, and flow modelling in conjunction with device performance characteristics to create maps of potential electricity production over an identified development site.  This approach can be viewed as a version of standard wind farm development approaches but scaled down in time and cost investment to be appropriate to the economics of small wind energy schemes.

Key words: Urban wind energy, wind resource metrics, wind resource mapping, Measure-Correlate-Predict (MCP).

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