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Wind Retrieval from Constellations of Small SAR Satellites: Potential for Offshore Wind Resource Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Merete Badger

    (Department of Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark)

  • Aito Fujita

    (Synspective Inc., 3-10-3 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0022, Japan)

  • Krzysztof Orzel

    (Synspective Inc., 3-10-3 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0022, Japan)

  • Daniel Hatfield

    (Department of Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark)

  • Mark Kelly

    (Department of Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark)

Abstract

The planning of offshore wind energy projects requires wind observations over long periods for the establishment of wind speed distributions. In the marine environment, high-quality in situ observations are sparse and restricted to point locations. Numerical modeling is typically used to determine the spatial variability of the wind resource. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) observations from satellites can be used for retrieval of wind fields over the ocean at a high spatial resolution. The recent launch of constellations of small SAR satellites by private companies will improve the sampling of SAR scenes significantly over the coming years compared with the current sampling rates offered by multi-purpose SAR missions operated by public space agencies. For the first time, wind fields are retrieved from a series of StriX SAR scenes delivered by Synspective (Japan) and also from Sentinel-1 scenes delivered by the European Space Agency. The satellite winds are compared with wind speed observations from the FINO3 mast in the North Sea. This leads to root-mean-square errors of 1.4–1.8 m s − 1 and negative biases of −0.4 m s − 1 and −1.0 m s − 1 , respectively. Although the Geophysical Model Functions (GMF) applied for wind retrievals have not yet been tuned for StriX SAR observations, the wind speed accuracy is satisfactory. Through conditional sampling, we estimate the wind resource from current and future SAR sampling scenarios where the number of SAR satellites in orbit is increasing over time. We find that hourly samples are needed to fully capture the diurnal wind speed variability at the site investigated. A combination of SAR samples from current missions with samples from clusters of small SAR satellites can yield the necessary number of wind speed samples for accurate wind resource estimation. This is particularly important for sites with pronounced diurnal wind speed variability. An additional benefit of small SAR satellites is that wind speed variability can be mapped at the sub-km scale. The very high spatial resolution is valuable for characterizing the wind conditions in the vicinity of existing offshore wind farms.

Suggested Citation

  • Merete Badger & Aito Fujita & Krzysztof Orzel & Daniel Hatfield & Mark Kelly, 2023. "Wind Retrieval from Constellations of Small SAR Satellites: Potential for Offshore Wind Resource Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-19, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:9:p:3819-:d:1136279
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rui Chang & Rong Zhu & Merete Badger & Charlotte Bay Hasager & Rongwei Zhou & Dong Ye & Xiaowei Zhang, 2014. "Applicability of Synthetic Aperture Radar Wind Retrievals on Offshore Wind Resources Assessment in Hangzhou Bay, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-16, May.
    2. Geon Hwa Ryu & Young-Gon Kim & Sung Jo Kwak & Man Soo Choi & Moon-Seon Jeong & Chae-Joo Moon, 2022. "Atmospheric Stability Effects on Offshore and Coastal Wind Resource Characteristics in South Korea for Developing Offshore Wind Farms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-23, February.
    3. Solyali, Davut & Altunç, Mustafa & Tolun, Süleyman & Aslan, Zafer, 2016. "Wind resource assessment of Northern Cyprus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 180-187.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jeong-Eon Park, 2023. "A Control Algorithm for Tapering Charging of Li-Ion Battery in Geostationary Satellites," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-15, July.

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