A Multi-Point Meso–Micro Downscaling Method Including Atmospheric Stratification

Renko Buhr, Hassan Kassem, Gerald Steinfeld, Michael Alletto, Björn Witha and Martin Dörenkämper
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Renko Buhr: ForWind-Center for Wind Energy Research, University of Oldenburg, Küpkersweg 70, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Hassan Kassem: Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES), Küpkersweg 70, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Gerald Steinfeld: ForWind-Center for Wind Energy Research, University of Oldenburg, Küpkersweg 70, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Michael Alletto: Wobben Research and Development (WRD), Teerhof 59, D-28199 Bremen, Germany
Björn Witha: ForWind-Center for Wind Energy Research, University of Oldenburg, Küpkersweg 70, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Martin Dörenkämper: Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES), Küpkersweg 70, D-26129 Oldenburg, Germany

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: In wind energy site assessment, one major challenge is to represent both the local characteristics as well as general representation of the wind climate on site. Micro-scale models (e.g., Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS)) excel in the former, while meso-scale models (e.g., Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)) in the latter. This paper presents a fast approach for meso–micro downscaling to an industry-applicable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling framework. The model independent postprocessing tool chain is applied using the New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) on the meso-scale and THETA on the micro-scale side. We adapt on a previously developed methodology and extend it using a micro-scale model including stratification. We compare a single- and multi-point downscaling in critical flow situations and proof the concept on long-term mast data at Rödeser Berg in central Germany. In the longterm analysis, in respect to the pure meso-scale results, the statistical bias can be reduced up to 45% with a single-point downscaling and up to 107% (overcorrection of 7%) with a multi-point downscaling. We conclude that single-point downscaling is vital to combine meso-scale wind climate and micro-scale accuracy. The multi-point downscaling is further capable to include wind shear or veer from the meso-scale model into the downscaled velocity field. This adds both, accuracy and robustness, by minimal computational cost. The new introduction of stratification in the micro-scale model provides a marginal difference for the selected stability conditions, but gives a prospect on handling stratification in wind energy site assessment for future applications.

Keywords: atmospheric stratification; complex terrain; downscaling; micro-scale simulations; wind energy site assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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