Survey Wind Speed at Turbine Site
Survey Wind Speed At Turbine Site
Before installing a wind turbine generator, conduct a wind speed survey at the proposed site
windIt is relatively easy to find out
average wind speeds at any location in the world thanks to the enormous amount of data collected by meteorologists. For example, in the UK there are many
wind speed resources providing
real time and historical average wind speed data online free of charge.
However these data, though informative, are of limited use in the real world when deciding whether a
wind turbine will perform well in a particular location, and in choosing the appropriate wind turbine configuration.
Why Conduct a Wind Speed Survey
Before installing a
wind turbine a
wind speed survey should be conducted at the
exact location of the proposed turbine. While historical data may show an average wind speed of say 5 m/s in your post code region, the reality in your exact location could be very different because of the effects of surrounding buildings and trees etc. This is one of the main reasons that
roof mounted wind turbines have been such a
disappointment to many suburban home wind turbine owners.
Wind speeds around the world are typically modelled by the
Weibull Distribution - a statistical tool which predicts how frequently different wind speeds occur at a location with a know average wind speed. For example, low wind speeds are much more common than high wind speeds. The true distribution of wind speeds at a particular proposed
wind turbine site may be very different and so the power output predicted by a wind turbine manufacturer (using the Weibull Distribution) may well be inaccurate.
Anemometers
Wind speeds are measured using an
Anemometer. There are two main types of
anemometer - the more traditional
vertical-axis collection device (three or four cups on the end of arms - as pictured above), and the newer handheld
small windmill type (pictured below).
Small
hand held anemometers are of very limited use to the wind speed surveyor since they have to held in the hand - not practical for a few months of constant data collection - and they must be pointed directly into the wind to measure accurately.
Therefore, in order to conduct a
wind speed survey the traditional type of
anemometer should be used and it must be connected to a data collection system - the most basic using a simple cycle computer, the more advance connecting directly to a personal computer or to an integrated
data logging device. By recording the wind speed once a minute for a couple of months an accurate average wind speed can be calculated, and the type of wind noted.
Using the Results of a Wind Speed Survey
If, for example, there are often many still days in a row at a proposed
off-grid wind turbine site then more
battery storage will be required. If winds are typically around 6 m/s and rarely go over 10 m/s then a wind turbine generator should be chosen which gives its maximum output at quite a low wind speed and has a low
cut-in speed. If however winds are typically 6 m/s, but there are frequently days when the wind averages 15 m/s, a wind turbine with a higher
cut-in speed, but a much larger power output at high RPM should be considered.
Article Last Modified: 16:23, 21st Apr 2007
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