Context

The characterisation of the wind still suffers from uncertainties in the spatial description associated with small-scale turbulent structures, e.g. orographic effects. Furthermore, the vertical wind speed profile is based on semi-empirical relationships derived from ground-based observations. Thus, improved wind characterisation is crucial to reduce uncertainties in resource assessment and wind turbine design.

Objective

To improve the characterisation of extreme winds by combining atmospheric models with satellite and in-situ observations.

Main achievements

• Extrapolation of surface winds from satellite data at the height of wind turbine nacelles
• Capturing the spatial variability of wind fields from high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations and coupling to wind forecast models
• Wave tank tests equipped with wind tunnels to study air-sea interactions during extreme events
• Improving the accuracy of atmospheric models by combining them with SAR observations, using machine learning methods

Conclusion

CARAVELE has developed new tools and improved existing models that can be used to: determine wind farm siting areas, estimate the wind resource, produce high resolution forecasts for offshore operations, and characterise extreme winds for wind turbine design.

Resources

CARAVELE fact sheet (PDF)

CARAVELE final webinar

Partners and funding

This project was led by Ifremer and France Energies Marines.

The total project budget was €1,752K.

This project received funding from France Energies Marines and its members and partners, as well as French State funding managed by the National Research Agency under the Investments for the Future Programme (ANR-10-IEED-0006-26).

Photo credit: Pasja1000 / Pixabay