4C is now TGS

We are excited to announce a significant milestone in 4C Offshore's journey. Our integration into the TGS family marks the beginning of a new era in offshore wind market intelligence.

Learn what this means for you!

On-site data crucial to offshore wind industry

By: Lewis Holdsworth 11/11/2014 Andy Payne

General

The Crown Estate have published a report today, one of the largest of its kind, which compares the data used from satellites against that of meteorological data gathered by offshore masts, which are both used to inform investment and design decisions for offshore wind farms.

The ‘UK MERRA offshore validation’ study provides fresh insight into whether reanalysis (MERRA - Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications) data could be used in support of, or in some cases in substitution for, meteorological data gathered by offshore masts. The report found that MERRA absolute wind speeds are not accurate enough to replace mast measurements, but do provide valuable estimates of offshore wind speeds in the project planning stage.

Ian Pritchard, Energy Asset Portfolio Manager at The Crown Estate, said: “The study involved the processing and analysis of wind data from over 20 offshore masts representing more than 85 years of offshore measurements, potentially representing the largest offshore validation of MERRA data ever undertaken.”
Reanalysis data reduces the cost and risk of offshore wind farm development by providing a source of long-term modelled meteorological data that is generally both difficult and expensive to acquire through direct measurement campaigns.

By testing and analysing reanalysis data, wind farm developers can better model and understand how their projects are likely to perform once built. The traditional use of reanalysis data has been to correlate it with actual short-term wind speed measurements from meteorological masts when making the case for a final investment decision.

This report complements our broader role in the renewables sector as it works to support the development of UK offshore wind through a direct investment of up to £100 million. Other initiatives include development of the Marine Data Exchange which provides access to survey data and reports collated during the planning, building and operation of offshore renewable energy projects.

Premium

4C Offshore Premium, our most popular subscription, gives you full access to use the 4C Offshore WebApp which includes exclusive offshore wind, transmission and vessel reports, news and downloads.

Request a 30 minute Demo

On-site data crucial to offshore wind industry

Back to News

Trending News!