Offshore Wind Energy

Offshore Wind Energy
An Analysis of NDBC Wind Data

by Philip H. Kahn
Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 1

Introduction
This study utilizes meteorological data provided by the National Data
Buoy Center to characterize the wind energy resource potential at
several locations off the shores of the continental United States. 23
Discus buoys and one land station are compared over 11 years.
The wind resource is computed by extrapolating the wind speed from
5 meters to 80 meters elevation; applying a single power curve (that of
a G.E. 3.6sl wind turbine) to the extrapolated wind speed; and applying
a density correction to account for the effect of temperature and
pressure on the power density.
Plots of monthly and hourly variation of wind speed and capacity
factor are presented. Also, change histograms of extrapolated wind
speed and power generation are computed for individual and groups
of buoys to demonstrate the effect of geographic dispersion on the
hour-to-hour variability of power output.
National Data
Buoy Center
www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
Contains meteorolog-
ical and oceano-
graphic data
Reported at least
hourly
Good temporal
coverage (except for
Great Lakes due to
winter ice)
Wind speed measured

at 5 meter elevation
Also measures wave

height (for surface
roughness)
Methodology
• For stations with multiple observations per hour,
wind speed data are block averaged.
• For buoys, aerodynamic roughness length is
determined using Charnock’s relation and iteration;
and used to extrapolate wind speed at hub height.
No correction for static stability is used in the current
study, though per Motta, et al (2003)* use of
logarithmic profiles without stability correction will
tend to underestimate wind speeds at hub height.
• For land based measurements fetch dependent
roughness length are used to extrapolate wind speed
to hub height.
*M. Motta, R.J. Barthelmie and P. Volund, 2003: Stability effects on predicted wind speed profiles and power output at the Vindeby offshore wind farm,
Wind Eng Journal, http://ejournal.windeng.net/archive/00000001/01/e-paper_motta.pdf

Methodology (cont.)
• Hub height for all power computations in this report
is 80 meters above local elevation.
• Density correction to power output is computed
based on temperature and pressure data on buoys
and the land station, yielding a significant seasonal
impact on power production.
• Power computations have no allowances for losses.
Hence they are overestimates of actual expected
power production, and illustrate the estimated
impact that variation in wind speed between buoys
has on power generation.
GE 3.6sl Wind Turbine
• Basis for all wind

energy computations
in this report
• Same power curve

used for both on-
shore and off-shore
computations

Data Availability
Due to the variability of winds on all time scales, when
comparing meteorological data from multiple instruments, it is
important to keep careful track of the temporal overlap of the
individual times series. In this study, we accomplish that by
computing the data availability percentage over each time frame
studied (monthly, quarterly and yearly); which is the number of
reported valid data values divided by the maximum possible data
values for the time frame (i.e. 720 hours in April, or 8760 hours
in 2003). The following table shows the data availability
percentage for each station and year studied. In many of the
following plots, a data threshold is defined for which those cases
where the data availability is less than the threshold are

Data Availability (cont.)
eliminated. For example, plots that have a data threshold of .95
include only those cases where data availability percentage
equals or exceeds 95%. Plots with a data threshold of 0 have no
cases eliminated and display the maximum amount of data
analyzed.

Data Availability Chart
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996
41001 65.3% 80.8% 60.7% 99.6% 86.1% 95.9% 99.8% 55.8% 95.1% 42.4% 66.1% 97.8%
41025 99.4% 99.2% 99.8% 79.7% 69.1% 68.3%
42007 76.9% 88.4% 96.1% 76.5% 83.8% 94.1% 97.7% 99.6% 98.8% 94.1% 78.0%
42019 99.9% 99.0% 94.5% 99.0% 90.7% 99.9% 95.2% 99.8% 52.1% 84.8% 81.1%
42020 99.9% 78.7% 99.3% 99.0% 99.5% 99.7% 96.9% 98.2% 56.6% 98.0% 98.4%
42035 88.1% 99.2% 99.8% 78.3% 98.8% 99.4% 99.7% 91.5% 99.2% 98.9% 98.4%
42040 74.2% 99.0% 90.5% 94.1% 86.0% 99.7% 99.8% 99.5% 92.1% 75.3% 84.2%
44007 99.7% 85.0% 99.6% 69.4% 99.5% 96.7% 99.6% 98.9% 99.4% 99.1% 98.3%
44008 83.4% 76.6% 96.3% 56.4% 97.4% 89.6% 99.6% 38.6% 81.6% 98.4% 78.7%
44009 84.6% 99.5% 99.7% 99.9% 68.9% 98.5% 83.0% 99.1% 97.3% 99.0% 91.4% 88.1%
44011 96.8% 78.4% 96.8% 95.3% 58.1% 87.2% 95.3% 86.9% 90.9% 82.0% 96.9% 83.5%
44013 99.3% 99.0% 99.4% 99.3% 99.7% 99.6% 99.6% 98.3% 99.6% 94.3% 98.3%
44014 99.2% 99.3% 60.1% 93.1% 99.9% 88.6% 99.7% 99.8% 97.3% 83.9% 70.9%
44017 82.2% 99.5% 84.2% 93.6% 92.0% 98.9% 33.2%
44018 99.4% 85.7% 98.4% 79.7% 62.1% 99.1% 41.8%
44025 94.8% 25.7% 91.0% 99.6% 99.6% 77.6% 99.8% 99.8% 97.6% 91.0% 93.2%
44027 86.4% 81.3% 99.8% 48.7% 63.2% 61.7%
45005 58.4% 38.0% 55.9% 58.9% 63.1% 62.3% 70.4% 60.5% 62.3% 58.9% 69.1%
45008 55.4% 59.5% 64.5% 65.9% 61.7% 54.9% 55.7% 62.5% 59.9% 52.1% 51.5%
45012 52.7% 55.8% 49.2% 56.0% 58.0% 47.6% 58.3%
46041 94.7% 22.1% 40.1% 99.1% 99.7% 99.4% 64.4% 77.2% 70.1% 47.5% 46.3%
46054 78.0% 81.1% 84.4% 35.2% 97.3% 98.2% 65.6% 97.6% 97.7% 96.6% 96.4%
46063 99.5% 76.0% 43.3% 51.2% 96.3% 99.7% 99.6% 74.7% 80.6% 98.7% 66.8%
JST___ 98.2% 98.8% 97.9% 97.2% 98.1% 98.3%
>75% Data Coverage <75% Data Coverage No Data Available
Percentages denote ratio of the number of actual data values to the number of
possible data values. All colored boxes were analyzed.

Overall Average Wind Speed and Capacity Factor
The following slide contains a table showing the overall average
wind speed and capacity factor for the studied stations. The
fourth column shows simply the average of the annual average
wind speed for all hours with data. The fifth column shows the
average of 12 monthly averages of wind speed for all hours with
data. The sixth column is the same as the fifth but with a data
threshold of 95%, meaning that months with less than 95% data
availability are not used in the computations. The fourth and
fifth columns are more subject to sampling errors. Similar
definitions apply to the seventh, eighth and ninth columns, but
they are capacity factor instead of wind speed.

Avg. Wind Avg. Avg. Cap. Avg. Cap. Fctr.
Avg. Wind Avg. Wind Speed from Capacity Fctr. from from Monthly
Speed from Speed from Monthly Avgs. Factor from Monthly Avgs. w/ 95%
Station Latitude Longitude Yrly. Avgs. (m/s) Monthly Avgs. w/ 95% Avail. Yrly. Avgs. Avgs. Avail.
41001 34°42'13" N 72°44'2" W 8.93 9.09 9.12 45.1% 46.3% 46.7%
41025 35°0'22" N 75°24'7" W 9.13 9.33 9.34 46.6% 48.1% 48.2%
42007 30°5'25" N 88°46'7" W 6.80 6.79 6.75 27.6% 27.5% 27.2%
42019 27°54'47" N 95°21'36" W 7.86 7.87 7.93 36.1% 36.2% 36.7%
42020 26°57'59" N 96°41'42" W 8.07 8.07 8.06 37.5% 37.5% 37.5%
42035 29°13'54" N 94°24'46" W 7.08 7.07 7.08 29.3% 29.3% 29.4%
42040 29°12'19" N 88°12'19" W 7.20 7.19 7.24 31.2% 31.2% 31.5%
44007 43°31'53" N 70°8'39" W 6.92 6.95 6.93 30.7% 31.0% 30.8%
44008 40°30'9" N 69°14'48" W 8.18 8.29 8.31 39.1% 40.0% 40.1%
44009 38°27'49" N 74°42'7" W 8.11 8.12 8.07 38.9% 38.9% 38.5%
44011 41°6'41" N 66°34'47" W 8.17 8.30 8.29 38.7% 39.7% 39.8%
44013 42°21'14" N 70°41'29" W 7.41 7.43 7.43 33.4% 33.6% 33.6%
44014 36°36'40" N 74°50'11" W 7.72 7.83 7.86 35.6% 36.6% 36.8%
44017 40°41'27" N 72°2'47" W 8.72 8.61 8.65 43.6% 42.4% 43.0%
44018 41°15'31" N 69°17'40" W 8.21 8.40 8.37 39.0% 40.8% 40.5%
44025 40°15'1" N 73°9'59" W 8.58 8.41 8.39 42.4% 41.1% 41.0%
44027 44°16'21" N 67°18'51" W 8.15 8.36 8.37 38.8% 40.7% 40.8%
45005 41°40'36" N 82°23'54" W 6.80 7.12 6.85 28.2% 30.9% 28.7%
45008 44°17'0" N 82°24'59" W 7.22 7.75 7.37 32.0% 36.4% 33.1%
45012 43°37'9" N 77°24'18" W 6.95 7.53 7.09 29.1% 33.3% 30.0%
46041 47°21'10" N 124°43'50" W 6.91 6.99 7.10 29.6% 30.5% 31.3%
46054 34°16'28" N 120°27'34" W 9.82 9.92 9.91 53.7% 54.4% 54.1%
46063 34°16'21" N 120°41'55" W 8.84 8.92 9.03 48.2% 49.1% 49.9%
JST 40°19'6"N 78°49'48"W 6.33 6.33 6.32 25.8% 25.8% 25.8%
Annual Mean Wind Speed and Capacity Factor For Period Studied (1998
through 2008, subject to Data Availability)

Capacity Factor Comparisons
• Twelve of the NBDC buoys are located off the east coast
(41001, 41025, 44007, 44008, 44009, 44011, 44013, 44014,
44017, 44018, 44025 and 44027).
• For the purposes of comparison, they have been grouped into
three groups:
–Very Near to Shore (VNS). The VNS group is comprised of two buoys,
44013 and 44007, and has an average annual capacity factor of 32.2% and
an average distance to shore of 9 kilometers.
–Near to Shore (NS). The NS group is comprised of seven buoys, 41025,
44009, 44014, 44017, 44018, 44025, and 44027, and has an average
annual capacity factor of 41.3%, and an average distance to shore of 43
kilometers.
–Far from Shore (FS). The FS group is comprised of three buoys, 41001,
44008 and 44011, and has an average annual capacity factor of 42.2%,
and an average distance to shore of 217 kilometers.

Capacity Factor Comparisons (cont.)
Conclusions:
•The Near Shore buoys have a wind resource that is apparently
attenuated.
• There are numerous locations with estimated capacity factor in
the high 30%’s and/or above 40%.
• The east coast buoys with the strongest wind resource are the
two off of North Carolina (41001 and 41025).
• Nationally, the best wind resource measured by the Discus
buoys of the NDBC is off the California coast near Santa Barbara
(buoys 46054 and 46063). This wind resource is particularly
strong in the summer when local demand peaks.

Weibull Fits
The following two slides show probability density of wind speed
for station 44009 (off of Delaware) for the entire year of 2007.
The first of the two slides is of the measured wind speed at 5
meters elevation, and the second slide is of the wind speed
extrapolated to 80 meters elevation. The plots show that the
Weibull distribution fits quite well both to the measured and
extrapolated wind speeds.

Histogram of Measured Wind Speed for C:\Buoy_Wind_Data_Analysis\44009\44009_2007\HMD_44009_2007_8718hours_twr
Shape = 1.964 Scale = 7.173
0.12
0.10
0.08
Density
0.06
0.04
0.02
0.00
0 5 10 15
Wind Speed (meters/sec.)
Weibull Fit to Measured Wind Speed 44009 2007

Histogram of Transformed Wind Speed for C:\Buoy_Wind_Data_Analysis\44009\44009_2007\HMD_44009_2007_8718hours_twr
Shape = 1.876 Scale = 9.067
0.10
0.08
0.06
Density
0.04
0.02
0.00
0 5 10 15 20 25
Wind Speed (meters/sec.)
Weibull Fit to Hub Height Wind Speed 44009 2007

Wind Rose Plots
The following two slides show wind rose plots of wind speed
during 2006 for four buoys. The first slide compares 44007 and
44027 (both near the coast of Maine); while the second slide
compares 44008 and 44018 (which are much further offshore).
The first slide shows significant terrain effects on the winds at
44007, which is the closest to shore of all of the buoys studied.
The wind speed at 44007 is lower than it is at the nearby buoy
44027, which is further offshore than 44007. The wind roses for
44008 and 40018 are much more similar due to their location far
from shore. This indicates that the low wind speed and capacity
factor for 44007 is more likely due to its proximity to shore
rather than due to instrument error.

Monthly Wind Speed for One Year
The following plot shows the monthly average wind speed
extrapolated to 80 meter hub height determined from wind
speed measured by buoy 44009 located off the coast of
Delaware for the year 2007. The plot shows the characteristic
summer lull in wind speeds with the maximum wind energy in
the last two and first two months of the year, that is typical of
buoys located of the east coast of the U.S.

Full Year
12
10
8
Wind Speed (Met/Sec)
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Month
44009 2007 Hub Height Wind Speed

Hourly Wind Speed for Full Year and 4 Seasons
The following five plots show hourly average wind speed
extrapolated to 80 meter hub height determined from wind
speed measured by buoy 44009 for the year 2007. The first plot
shows the hourly variation of wind speed for the entire year;
while the subsequent four plots show the hourly variation for
Winter (December, January and February), Spring (March, April
and May), Summer (June, July and August) and Fall (September,
October and November). The time of day is UTZ (Greenwich
Standard Time).

Full Year
12
10
8
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour

Winter
12
10
8
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour

Spring
12
10
8
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour

Summer
12
10
8
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour

Fall
12
10
8
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour

All Stations Monthly
The next slide shows for each station the wind speed averaged
over each month of all the years studied. The following slide
shows for each station the wind speed averaged over each
month plotted individually, indicating the scatter of the
individual months. The succeeding two plots are similar but
show the capacity factor instead of the wind speed. These plots
give a good idea of the annual and inter-annual variability of the
wind speed and capacity factor as measured by the 23 NDBC
data buoys.

Overall Average Per Month Data Threshold = 0 %
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
46041 46054 46063 JST__

15 15
10 10
5 5
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

15 15
10 10
5 5
Wind Speed (met/sec)
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

15 15
10 10
5 5
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

15 15
10 10
5 5
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

15 15
10 10
5 5
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
Month
Monthly Average Hub Height Wind Speed For All Years

Monthly Averages Data Threshold = 0 %
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
46041 46054 46063 JST__

15 15
10 10
5 5
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

15 15
10 10
5 5
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

15 15
10 10
5 5
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

15 15
10 10
5 5
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

15 15
10 10
5 5
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
Month
Monthly Average Hub Height Wind Speed For Individual Years

Overall Average Per Month Data Threshold = 0 %
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
46041 46054 46063 JST__
60 60
40 40
20 20
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012
60 60
40 40
20 20
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

Capacity Factor (%)
60 60
40 40
20 20
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009
60 60
40 40
20 20
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020
60 60
40 40
20 20
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
Month
Monthly Average Capacity Factor For All Years

Monthly Averages Data Threshold = 0 %
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
46041 46054 46063 JST__
60 60
40 40
20 20
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012
60 60
40 40
20 20
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

Capacity Factor (%)
60 60
40 40
20 20
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009
60 60
40 40
20 20
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020
60 60
40 40
20 20
2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
Month
Monthly Average Capacity Factor For Individual Years

All Stations Hourly (Full Year, Winter & Summer)
The next three slides show hourly variation of wind speed for
each station averaged over the full year for the first plot; over
the winter for the second plot; and over the summer for the
third plot. Each circle plotted represents the average wind speed
for a particular hour in each day of the averaging period. In the
case of the full year plot each circle represents the average of
hourly 365 values; while for the seasonal plots each circle
represents the average of up to 91 hourly values. The following
3 slides are the same but with capacity factor plotted rather than
wind speed. Cases that show a line of circles away from the
main body of data points result from averaging periods that are
missing a large percentage of data values.

Full Year Data Threshold = 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
46041 46054 46063 JST__

15 15
10 10
5 5
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

15 15
10 10
5 5
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

15 15
10 10
5 5
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

15 15
10 10
5 5
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

15 15
10 10
5 5
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Hour
Full Year Hourly Average Hub Height Wind Speed For Individual Years

Winter Data Threshold = 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
46041 46054 46063 JST__

15 15
10 10
5 5
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

15 15
10 10
5 5
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

15 15
10 10
5 5
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

15 15
10 10
5 5
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

15 15
10 10
5 5
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Hour
Winter Hourly Average Hub Height Wind Speed For Individual Years

Summer Data Threshold = 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
46041 46054 46063 JST__

15 15
10 10
5 5
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

15 15
10 10
5 5
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

15 15
10 10
5 5
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

15 15
10 10
5 5
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

15 15
10 10
5 5
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Hour
Summer Hourly Average Hub Height Wind Speed For Individual Years

Full Year Data Threshold = 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
46041 46054 46063 JST__
60 60
40 40
20 20
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012
60 60
40 40
20 20
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

Capacity Factor (%)
60 60
40 40
20 20
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009
60 60
40 40
20 20
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020
60 60
40 40
20 20
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Hour
Full Year Hourly Average Capacity Factor For Individual Years

Winter Data Threshold = 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
46041 46054 46063 JST__
60 60
40 40
20 20
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012
60 60
40 40
20 20
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

Capacity Factor (%)
60 60
40 40
20 20
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009
60 60
40 40
20 20
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020
60 60
40 40
20 20
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Hour
Winter Hourly Average Capacity Factor For Individual Years

Summer Data Threshold = 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
46041 46054 46063 JST__
60 60
40 40
20 20
44025 44027 45005 45008 45012
60 60
40 40
20 20
44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

Capacity Factor (%)
60 60
40 40
20 20
42035 42040 44007 44008 44009
60 60
40 40
20 20
41001 41025 42007 42019 42020
60 60
40 40
20 20
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Hour
Summer Hourly Average Capacity Factor For Individual Years

Single Year Station Comparisons
The following two slides show the power estimated power
output from a GE 3.6sl turbine with 80 meter hub height for
buoy 44009 and the Johnstown, PA ASOS station located at the
local airport. The first of the two plots shows the monthly
variation of power output for 2007 and the second plot shows
the hourly variation of power output for the full year of 2007.
The next two slides show monthly variation of power output for
2007 for: buoy 44009 and 41025 (located off Cape Hatteras,
NC); and buoy 44009 and 44017 (located off the south shore of
Long Island NY).

44009 vs JST
3000
2500
2000
Power (kW)
1500
1000
500
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Month
2007 Monthly Power Output (44009 light gray, JST dark gray)

Full Year
3000
2500
2000
Power (kW)
1500
1000
500
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour
2007 Hourly Power Output (44009 light gray, JST dark gray)

41025 vs 44009
3000
2500
2000
Power (kW)
1500
1000
500
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Month
2007 Monthly Power Output (44009 light gray, 41025 dark gray)

44009 vs 44017
3000
2500
2000
Power (kW)
1500
1000
500
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Month
2007 Monthly Power Output (44009 light gray, 44017 dark gray)

Multiple Year Station Comparisons
The following four slides each show six box-and-whisker plots of
different station pairs, where the percentage difference in wind
speed is plotted by month of the year. For each month, the
mean is depicted with a heavy horizontal line through the box,
which contains the second and third quartiles of the monthly
difference values. The whiskers extend to the extreme of the
monthly values of wind speed difference percentage. The next
four slides are similar but with difference of capacity factor
plotted instead of percentage difference in wind speed. These
slides demonstrate the variation of wind resource among many
of the buoys.

Monthly Wind Speed Differences For Selected Pairs of Stations




Monthly Capacity Factor Differences For Selected Pairs of Stations




Multiple Year Station Comparisons: Discussion
• The wind resource at JST__ is generally less than that of virtually all of the
buoys. This site is at a relatively high elevation (over 2000 feet above sea
level), however it is located at an airport and does not benefit from
topographical speed-up as do typically developed land-based wind energy
production sites in the eastern part of the U.S. (See upper left plot of Slide
49.)
• The summer winds at 44009 are equal or greater than those at 44017 and
44025, though the winter winds at the latter two stations off the southern
coast of Long Island are stronger than those off of Delaware, indicating
that those sites are comparable to the Delaware one. (See upper middle
and upper right plot of Slide 49.)
• The winds at 44013 (just east of Boston Harbor) are unexpectedly light.
This is presumably due to sheltering of the winds by the city and by Cape
Cod. (See the lower left plot of Slide 49.)
• The wind resource at stations 44014 and 44018 are roughly comparable to

Multiple Year Station Comparisons: Discussion (cont.)
that of 44009. (See lower middle and lower right plots of Slide 49.)
• The wind resource at 44007 (off the coast of Southern Maine) appears to
be significantly weaker than that of 44009. (See upper left plot of Slide
50.) This is consistent with the discussion of the wind rose computed for
44007 (Slides 20, 21 and 22).
• Station 41025 (off of Cape Hatteras, NC) has significantly better wind
resource than 44009 and the other buoys further north. (See the upper
right plot of Slide 50.) This is corroborated with the summary annual
averages shown in Slide 14.
• Station 42020 off the southern coast of Texas has better winds in the
months of May, June and July relative to 44009, while in the other months
44009 fares better than 42020. (See lower left plot of Slide 50.) Overall,
the two stations are quite close in annual wind resource (per Slide 14).
• Station 45005 (located in Lake Erie) only reports in the warmer months of
the year due to lake ice. During the months that 45005 reports data, its
wind resource lags that of 44009. (See the lower middle plot of Slide 50.)

Multiple Year Station Comparisons: Discussion (cont.)
• Station 46054 (off of Santa Barbara, CA) has the strongest wind resource
of all of the buoys studied. It has especially strong winds in the summer
months due to pronounced sea breeze circulation driven by the large
ocean to land temperature difference occurring in southern California.
(See the lower right plot of Slide 50, Slide 33 and Slide 14).
• Strong summer sea breeze is evident in the comparison between stations
44008 and 44018. 44008 is located further offshore than 44018 and due
south of it. (See the upper left plot of Slide 52.) This is corroborated by
the comparison between 44011 and 44018, which both are relatively far
offshore. (See the upper right plot of Slide 52.)
• The southern Texas coast (station 42020) appears to have significantly
better wind resource than the northeastern Texas coast (station 42035).
(See the lower right plot of Slide 52.)

Effects of Geographic Dispersion
• To see the effect geographic dispersion on power output, hour to hour
changes in power output were compared between individual and groups
of buoys.
• Histograms of changes in wind speed and power were computed for 1, 2,
3, 4, 8 and 12 hour differences for individual buoys and for groups of 3
buoys and 7 buoys.
• Slides 62 through 67 show the wind speed change histograms for 1, 2, 3, 4,
8 and 12 hour changes for buoy 44018 for 2008, while Slides 68 through
73 show the same for power.
• Power change histograms were compared between a single buoy and the
average of three buoys (relatively close together), and between a single
buoy and the average of seven buoys (more widely dispersed).
• In Slides 74 and 75, the power change histograms for a single station
(44008) are overlaid by the histograms for the average of three relatively
close by buoys (44008, 44018 and 44025) located near Long Island and
Cap Cod.

Effects of Geographic Dispersion (cont.)
• In Slides 76 and 77, the power change histograms for a single buoy
(44018) were overlaid by the power change histograms for the average of
seven buoys that were dispersed from North Carolina to Maine (41025,
44007, 44008, 44013, 44014, 44018 & 44025).
• In Slides 78 and 79, the power change histograms for the close-by group of
three buoys (44008, 44018 & 44025) is overlaid by the power change
histograms for the average of the seven widely dispersed buoys (41025,
44007, 44008, 44013, 44014, 44018 & 44025).
• Slides 76 and 77 clearly illustrate the smoothing effect on the hour-to-
hour change of the power output from dispersed wind farms compared to
a single wind farm.
• Note that the central spikes in the power change histograms result from
the cut-in and cut-off speeds of the wind turbine power curve used for the
computations

HMD_44018_2008_8731hours Wind Speed
0.5
0.4
0.3
Density
0.2
0.1
0.0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30
1 Hour Change (met/sec)
1 Hour Wind Speed Change Histogram for Buoy 44018 in 2008

0.5
0.4
0.3
Density
0.2
0.1
0.0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

0.5
0.4
0.3
Density
0.2
0.1
0.0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

0.5
0.4
0.3
Density
0.2
0.1
0.0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

0.5
0.4
0.3
Density
0.2
0.1
0.0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

0.5
0.4
0.3
Density
0.2
0.1
0.0
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

HMD_44018_2008_8731hours Power
0.004
0.003
Density
0.002
0.001
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
1 Hour Change (kW)
1 Hour Power Change Histogram for Buoy 44018 in 2008

0.004
0.003
Density
0.002
0.001
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
2 Hour Change (kW)

0.004
0.003
Density
0.002
0.001
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
3 Hour Change (kW)

0.004
0.003
Density
0.002
0.001
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
4 Hour Change (kW)

0.004
0.003
Density
0.002
0.001
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
8 Hour Change (kW)

0.004
0.003
Density
0.002
0.001
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
12 Hour Change (kW)

HMD_44008_2008 AVG_44008_44018_44025_2008 Power HMD_44008_2008 AVG_44008_44018_44025_2008 Power
0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
1 Hour Change (kW) 2 Hour Change (kW)

0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
2008 Power Change Histograms for 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 & 12 hour changes at Buoy 44008 (in red)
overlaid by Average of 44008, 44018 & 44025
4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
overlaid by Average of 44008, 44018 & 44025 (expanded scale)
HMD_44018_2008_8731hours AVG_41025_44007_44008_44013_44014_44018_44025_2008 Power HMD_44018_2008_8731hours AVG_41025_44007_44008_44013_44014_44018_44025_2008 Power
0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
overlaid by Average of 41025, 44007, 44008, 44013, 44014, 44018 & 44025
4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
overlaid by Average of 41025, 44007, 44008, 44013, 44014, 44018 & 44025 (expanded
scale)
AVG_44008_44018_44025_2008 AVG_41025_44007_44008_44013_44014_44018_44025_2008 Power AVG_44008_44018_44025_2008 AVG_41025_44007_44008_44013_44014_44018_44025_2008 Power
0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

0.004
0.004
0.003
0.003
Density
Density
0.002
0.002
0.001
0.001
0.000
0.000
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
2008 Power Change Histograms for 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 & 12 hour changes of the Average of 44008,
44018 & 44025 (in red) overlaid by Average of 41025, 44007, 44008, 44013, 44014, 44018
& 44025
4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

4e-04
4e-04
Density
Density
2e-04
2e-04
0e+00
0e+00
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000
2008 Power Change Histograms for 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 & 12 hour changes of the Average of 44008,
44018 & 44025 (in red) overlaid by Average of 41025, 44007, 44008, 44013, 44014, 44018
& 44025 (expanded scale)
Final Word
The National Data Buoy Center of the National Oceanographic
and Atmospheric Administration offers a dataset that yields
useful information about the wind resource around our nation’s
shores. Though the platform was not expressly designed to
inventory wind resources, the fact that so many of the same type
of buoy package have been deployed with similar anemometers
at the same measuring height means that useful comparisons
between sites can be performed. Slides 31, 35, 36 and 37
demonstrate that the dataset hangs together quite well.
Considering that the buoys endure the harsh environment of the
ocean, it is remarkable that the instruments maintain calibration
over time as well as they apparently do.

Offshore Wind Energy - 6

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Offshore Wind Energy - 6

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An Analysis of NDBC Wind Data

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 1

Wind speed measured

Also measures wave

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 7

• Basis for all wind

• Same power curve

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 9

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 10

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 11

>75% Data Coverage <75% Data Coverage No Data Available

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 12

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 13

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 14

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 15

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 16

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 17

Wind Speed (meters/sec.)

Weibull Fit to Measured Wind Speed 44009 2007

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 18

Wind Speed (meters/sec.)

Weibull Fit to Hub Height Wind Speed 44009 2007

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 19

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 20

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 23

44009 2007 Hub Height Wind Speed

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 24

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 25

44009 2007 Hub Height Wind Speed

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 26

44009 2007 Hub Height Wind Speed

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 27

44009 2007 Hub Height Wind Speed

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 28

44009 2007 Hub Height Wind Speed

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 29

44009 2007 Hub Height Wind Speed

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 30

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 31

46041 46054 46063 JST__

44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

Monthly Average Hub Height Wind Speed For All Years

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 32

46041 46054 46063 JST__

44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

Monthly Average Hub Height Wind Speed For Individual Years

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 33

46041 46054 46063 JST__

44025 44027 45005 45008 45012

44011 44013 44014 44017 44018

42035 42040 44007 44008 44009

41001 41025 42007 42019 42020

Monthly Average Capacity Factor For All Years

Copyright 2010 Philip H. Kahn 34

46041 46054 46063 JST__

44025 44027 45005 45008 45012