Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
0.20
Rayleigh
Weibull
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
Wind Speed, m/s
FIGURE 3.17
Example wind speed frequency calculated using Rayleigh distribution and Weibull distribution.
The energy pattern factor is not much used; however, it is an estimate of the variability of the
wind speed. It is the relation between the mean of the cubes of each data point divided by the cube
of the mean for a series of data (see
Example 3.2
for a series of two points). The energy pattern factor
is always greater than 1, and in the Southern High Plains, it varied from 1.6 to 3.4.
3.12 GENERAL COMMENTS
Previous studies of the behavior of the wind were done by meteorologists who were mainly inter-
ested in weather and, for research, turbulence and momentum transfer. Since 1975, numerous stud-
ies have been funded on wind characteristics as they pertain to wind energy potential and the effects
on wind turbines. In the United States this research was primarily through the Battelle Pacific
Northwest Laboratories (PNL), and it was then transferred to the National Wind Technology Center
(NWTC), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). A list of publications on wind charac-
teristics is available from NREL. States and universities have also funded projects for estimating
the wind energy potential. After using the national atlas, contact your state energy office or the
American Wind Energy Association in the United States.
National labs in many of the countries in the European Union did the same thing, with one of
the prominent labs being Riso, Denmark. To obtain information in other countries, the procedures
are the same: contact national entities, universities, institutes, and state, national, and international
wind energy associations.
LINKS
National Climatic Center,
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html
.
Wind speed data.
National Wind Technology Center, NREL,
http://www.nrel.gov/wind/about_wind.html
.
REFERENCES
1.
M. R. Gustavson. 1978. Wind power extraction limits. In
Proceedings National Conference
, Fall '78,
ed. Vaughn Nelson, p. 101.
2.
D. L. Elliott et al. 1986.
Wind energy resource atlas of the United States
. DOE/CH 10093-4, October.
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