Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition 2019

Sessions Speakers Exhibitors Floor Plan Buzz

e-Poster: Metocean Reanalysis Datasets, Operational Forecasting and Validation Measurements for Winds and Waves in Virginia’s Research Lease (Room Station 1)

As part of Virginia’s commitment to the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) has offered to integrate its renewable energy research leases into a National Ocean Test Bed. This presentation describes metocean reanalysis datasets available to all Consortium members for planning projects on the research leases, as well as operational wind and wave forecasts to facilitate safe and sure offshore access to the research leases for carrying out funded projects. The ERA5 reanalysis dataset is used to create a continuous record of mean wind speed and direction at the surface (10 m above sea level) and at 100 m above sea level, over the period from Sep-1984 through Aug-2019. This 35-year record is then used to characterize the offshore wind resource in the research lease. The National Ocean Partnership Project, Phase 2 Wavewatch III reanalysis dataset, covering the period from Jan-1980 through Dec-2009 is used to characterize the directional wave climate in the research lease. Offshore transport and turbine access statistics are presented for the 25-year overlap period when both wind and wave reanalysis data are available. Finally, operational forecast products for the research lease are described, which are publicly available and updated four times a day. The forecast access portal provides real-time forecast validation statistics based on coincident wind and wave measurements.