OVERVIEW OF A WIND RESOURCE ASSESSMENT CAMPAIGN - Wind Resource Assessment: A Practical Guide to Developing a Wind Project - page 13

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OVERVIEW OF A WIND
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
CAMPAIGN
A wind resource assessment campaign, like other technical projects, requires care-
ful planning and coordination guided by a clear set of objectives. It is often con-
strained by tight budgets and schedules. Its ultimate success rests on the quality of
the program's assembled assets, namely, sound siting and measurement techniques,
trained staff, high quality equipment, and appropriate data analysis and modeling
techniques.
This chapter provides an overview of the design and implementation of a wind
resource assessment campaign and identifies where these concepts are discussed in
the rest of the topic. It should be noted that wind resource assessment is just the
first step in the life cycle of a utility-scale wind energy project. Other major steps not
covered in this topic, shown in Figure 2-1, include permitting, financing, construction,
operation, and decommissioning. To learn more about wind energy projects beyond
the resource assessment phase, the reader is encouraged to consult resources such as
those listed in the “Suggestions for Further Reading” section.
A wind resource assessment campaign can be divided into three main stages: site
identification, resource monitoring, and resource analysis.