Method of evaluating wind flow based on terrain exposure and elevation
US8483963B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 2010 |
| Grant date | Jul 9, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 1, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01W1/10
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of modeling the spatial variation in wind resource at a prospective wind farm site. The method involves calculating terrain exposure at multiple locations of interest, such as the locations of meteorological towers and prospective wind turbine locations. Measured average wind speeds from the meteorological tower locations are empirically correlated with terrain exposure to create a model wherein annual average wind speed can be calculated for any location on the site as a function of terrain exposure. The method can use upwind terrain exposure, downwind terrain exposure, or both. It can also be used together with terrain elevation to create a robust three parameter model. The method requires wind measurements from at least two meteorological towers, with improved performance when measurements are available from a larger number of meteorological towers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.