%0 Journal Article
%T Statistical and Spectral Analysis of Wind Characteristics Relevant to Wind Energy Assessment Using Tower Measurements in Complex Terrain
%A Radian Belu
%A Darko Koracin
%J Journal of Wind Energy
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/739162
%X The main objective of the study was to investigate spatial and temporal characteristics of the wind speed and direction in complex terrain that are relevant to wind energy assessment and development, as well as to wind energy system operation, management, and grid integration. Wind data from five tall meteorological towers located in Western Nevada, USA, operated from August 2003 to March 2008, used in the analysis. The multiannual average wind speeds did not show significant increased trend with increasing elevation, while the turbulence intensity slowly decreased with an increase were the average wind speed. The wind speed and direction were modeled using the Weibull and the von Mises distribution functions. The correlations show a strong coherence between the wind speed and direction with slowly decreasing amplitude of the multiday periodicity with increasing lag periods. The spectral analysis shows significant annual periodicity with similar characteristics at all locations. The relatively high correlations between the towers and small range of the computed turbulence intensity indicate that wind variability is dominated by the regional synoptic processes. Knowledge and information about daily, seasonal, and annual wind periodicities are very important for wind energy resource assessment, wind power plant operation, management, and grid integration. 1. Introduction Wind energy represents a nonpolluting, never-ending source of energy able to meet increasing energy needs domestically and around the world. Wind power is replenished daily by the sun, due to the uneven heating of the Earth¡¯s surface. Furthermore, the wind is accelerated by major land forms, so that entire regions may be very windy while others are relatively calm. A feasibility study of any wind energy project should certainly include a study of the spatial, temporal, and directional variations of wind velocity. On the other hand, the development of predictive models in order to supervise and operate wind-based electricity generation requires knowledge of the wind vector characteristics. This is a very difficult task because of the extreme transitions in the speed and direction of wind at most sites. In order to optimize wind energy conversion systems and maximize the energy extraction, annual, monthly, daily, hourly, and even by-minute frequency distributions of wind data are required. In the last few years, increasing attention has been paid to analyses of wind speed and direction statistics and to mathematical representations of wind speed and direction as being essential to wind
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jwe/2013/739162/