From the Fall 2009 Newsletter.....
A wind assessment is a fundamental component of wind farm development. This assessment is essential to determining overall wind facility profitability and providing an accurate estimation of energy production. A standard practice is to collect at least one year of on-site wind data to make an accurate analysis.
Most leading financial institutions require a minimum of one year of on-site data before they will even consider investing in or providing financing to a wind energy project. As of the end of October 2009, Root River Energy will have reached this crucial milestone, allowing us to produce a full one year wind study. Collecting on-site data requires the installation of measuring equipment designed to collect wind data at the height of at least 40-80 meters, in what is referred to as a wind data acquisition program.
This equipment, known as meteorological towers, are temporary structures supported by guy wires that are sited and installed in the project footprint. Multiple towers are usually needed for larger projects in order to improve the accuracy of the overall analysis. National Wind’s approach is to deploy taller towers that measure wind at the 80-meter height at which wind turbines operate, also helping increase accuracy.
National Wind Assessments, a well-recognized and experienced wind resource analysis firm, is conducting the wind acquisition and analysis program for Root River Energy. In October 2008, the National Wind Assessments team installed Root River Energy’s 80 meter met tower in Fillmore County. There are plans to install an additional 60 meter meteorological tower in the near future, possibly in the Mower County footprint. One year of data is a healthy representation of the on-site wind speeds and direction across seasonal changes.
With this data, a correlation can be made with long-term weather data documented over the course of ten years or more, based on devices installed in such locations as airports. This comparison helps determine what year to year adjustments are to be made to the one year data set to provide an accurate long term estimation of the project wind resource. Our overall goal is to produce a wind resource analysis that helps ensure the financial viability of the wind farm and provide the information necessary to design a productive wind farm that meets the needs of landowners in Fillmore and Mower Counties. After all, this is your community-owned wind farm development and we want to do it right.
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