Observations of atmospheric stability and three dimensional turbulence for wind energy development applications

In 2012, wind energy in Canada grew by nearly 20% and wind is expected to supply 20% of Canada's electricity by 2025. Accurate measurement of the wind resource is essential for future wind energy development but current wind resource assessment practices do not adequately measure atmospheric turbulence or stability. These variables affect average wind speeds, wind energy turbine performance, and energy production. The research proposed here will deploy advanced instrumentation (a 3-d sonic anemometer) to provide highresolution measurements of 3-d atmospheric turbulence and stability. These measurements have potential to improve wind speed models and reduce uncertainties in energy production estimates at a proposed wind energy production site in British Columbia.

Faculty Supervisor:

Drs. Andreas Christen & Andrew Black

Student:

Ben Crawford

Partner:

Sea Breeze Power Corp.

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of Northern British Columbia