Issue 4
Summer 2011
Wind Review
Where are the windiest locations in Europe?
The success of the global wind energy industry is linked
directly to the performance and profitability of individual
wind projects, which vary significantly from location to
location and through time.
There is much that can be learnt by analysing the past performance of wind
over a particular region and a specific site within the region. This document is
designed to give executives working in the wind energy industry an ongoing,
high-level picture of wind across regions and sites within Europe. The following
pages present firstly a wind index of the windiest European regions over the last
season, and secondly examines the individual performance of five sites within
the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
With many wind farms today not performing in line with original plans,
use Wind Review to:
- Put the performance of your portfolio into context based on recent
wind statistics
- Assess whether your farm’s under or over performance is due to wind
or other factors
Wind index
We have used data generated from our weather model to create a wind index, ranking fifteen
regions across Europe by comparing the average wind speed for Summer 2011 against the summer
season long-term average. The table also compares, as a percentage, the wind speeds in Summer
2011 to Summer 2010 and also Summer 2011 with the previous 12 months.
Rank
Region
Summer season
compared to summer
long-term average
Summer season
compared to last
year’s season
Summer season
compared to previous
12 months
1
Germany
+8%
+12%
+2%
2
Benelux
+5%
+10%
0%
2
Poland
+5%
+7%
-1%
2
North Sea
+5%
+6%
-7%
3
Iceland
+4%
+13%
-18%
4
Baltic
+1%
0%
-8%
5
SE Europe
0%
+1%
0%
5
Denmark
0%
+1%
-8%
6
Iberia
-1%
+3%
+7%
7
France
-2%
+5%
-1%
7
Ukraine & Belarus
-2%
-4%
-9%
8
Italy
-3%
0%
-6%
9
British Isles
-5%
-5%
-11%
9
Scandinavia
-5%
-5%
-10%
10
Turkey
-8%
+1%
+8%
Looking at the table, it is noticeable that for the
summer of 2011 the whole of Europe experienced near
average winds, with all regions coming within +/-8% of
the long-term average.
Through the summer months a general area of high
pressure sat over the south east of Europe while the
north west was often under the influence of lower
pressure. This is likely to have given rise to the lighter
winds than the long-term average across south east
Europe, including Turkey, Ukraine and Italy, and higher
winds than average across Iceland, Germany and the
North Sea.
The main feature shown in most of the graphs is the
close proximity of the average monthly winds to
the long-term average for the summer. The notable
exception is Lake Constance in Germany. Although the
overall wind in Germany was 8% stronger than the
long-term average, the graph shows slightly lighter
winds than the long-term average during the summer
months. This is likely due to the position of Lake
Constance in the south of the country which was under
the influence of the high pressure, however it was
much windier in the north due to the cyclonic nature of
the summer period. This lead to an overall increase in
average wind speed across the country.
The general wind pattern over the last 12 months has
been for the winds to be lighter than the long-term
average, though the difference was generally less than
10%. The exception to this was Lake Constance which
had wind speeds just over 20% lighter than average
over the last 12 months, with winds since February
being particularly light. We can also see south and
eastern European countries have been least windy, with
areas to the north west being most windy, as would
be expected.
Site-specific graphs
Site-specific monthly average wind speeds
The graphs below compare the monthly average
wind speeds against the long-term average, over
a one year period for five individual sites across
the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy
and Spain. It has been generated by Virtual
Met MastTM, the Met Office’s site-specific
wind analysis model-based tool.
B
E
D
C
A
Monthly Average Wind Speed - Andalucia, Spain
A
7.00
6.00
Wind Speed (m/s)
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
Percent above the long-term average for last 12 months: +1.9%
1.00
Monthly Average
Long Term Average
0.00
Sep-10
B
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11
D
Monthly Average Wind Speed - Cambridge, UK
8
9.00
8.00
4.00
Monthly Average Wind Speed - Lake Constance, Germany
3.50
7.00
3.00
Wind Speed (m/s)
Wind Speed (m/s)
6.00
5.00
4.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
3.00
1.00
2.00
Percent below the long-term average for last 12 months: -20.3%
Percent below the long-term average for last 12 months: -6.5%
0.50
1.00
Monthly Average
Monthly Average
Long Term Average
Sep-10
Oct-10
C
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Sep-10
Aug-11
E
Monthly Average Wind Speed - Po Valley, Italy
4.00
6.00
3.00
5.00
2.50
2.00
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11
Monthly Average Wind Speed - Versailles, France
7.00
3.50
Wind Speed (m/s)
Wind Speed (m/s)
Long Term Average
0.00
0.00
4.00
3.00
1.50
2.00
Percent below the long-term average for last 12 months: -7.3%
1.00
Percent below the long-term average for last 12 months: -8.6%
1.00
0.50
Monthly Average
Monthly Average
Long Term Average
Long Term Average
0.00
0.00
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11
At the Met Office, we understand
better than anyone the impact
the weather can have on the
wind energy industry. We are
committed to providing quality
services to our customers based on
a firm understanding of their needs.
The Met Office’s European suite of solutions for the wind energy
industry is designed to support critical decision-making at all
stages of the project life cycle, from site analysis and selection,
to the monitoring and management of operating conditions
once the farm is operational. We will be pleased to advise how
we can generate a wind index for your current and planned
sites and to assist you in managing the performance of your
wind portfolio.
With the Met Office coverage, level and range of data across
Europe, you can be assured of receiving first-class analysis and
forecast information.
For more information call us on
+44 (0)1392 885680 or email: energy@metoffice.gov.uk
Met Office
FitzRoy Road, Exeter
Devon, EX1 3PB
United Kingdom
Tel: 0870 900 0100
Email: energy@metoffice.gov.uk
www.metoffice.gov.uk/energy/
renewables/wind
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