WMOD00387

• Title: Wind Site Prospecting Studies
• Prepared By: W. F. Harrison, S. J. Hightower
• Date: 10/1/1982
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

INTRODUCTION

This study was accomplished to assist the Bureau
of Reclamation's Regional Offices in evaluating
proposed candidate sites for possible wind turbine
projects in meeting their project power needs.

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In response to an urgent need for additional
electrical power in the west, the Bureau was
directed, in 1976, to consider the use of wind-
power systems to augment the power output of
its existing hydroelectric facilities. The initial
study results were promising; therefore, Congress
authorized funding of the first two-system verifi-
cation wind-turbine units and a detailed feasibili-
ty study of a 1 OO-MW project at Medicine Bow,
Wyoming. The Department of Energy asked the
Bureau of Reclamation and othe~ Federal Power
Agencies to consider the possibility of construct-
ing five or more wind turbine projects having a
total installed capacity of up to 500-MW. With
these potential cost sharing opportunities and
the Bureau's need for low cost project power,
which would be paid back with interest, the wind
site prospecting program was initiated to assist
the Regional Offices in establishing which other
sites would be the best for construction of other
wind turbine projects, in addition to the Medicine
Bow Project. This report discusses the prelimi-
nary results of this study comparing the various
sites that were monitored using PROBE (Portable
Remote OBservations of the Environment) sta-
tions. For a complete comparison of all sites, this
data must be compared with data being obtained
by the Regional Offices at these and other sites
that are also being monitored, [1, 2]'. The results
indicate that there are at least five or six other
sites in this group in addition to the Medicine
Bow site that warrant further consideration.

BACKGROUND

..

The Bureau of Reclamation's DARR (Division of
Atmospheric Resources Research) and its con-
tractors have developed specifications for a hydro-
meteorological data-collection network to support
research in conjunction with Project Skywater
programs, such as the HIPLEX (High Plains Co-
operative Program), SCPP (Sierra Cooperative
Pilot Project), and CREST (Colorado River En-
hanced Snowpack Test). The network stations
were acronymed PROBE, which stands for Port-
able, Remote OBservations of the Environment.

1 Numbers in brackets refer to entries in Bibliography,

Prior research and analysis indicated the need for
an automatic network providing information for
(1) near real-time, short-term prediction (0 to 3
hours) of convective activity, (2) quantitative esti-
mates of convergence for use in developing fore-
cast variables and covariates of convective precipi-
tation, (3) input to and verification of mesoscale
numerical models, and (4) development of a better
understanding of mesoscale convective interac-
tion and triggering mechanisms.

Each station records temperature, relative hu-
midity, pressure, wind speed, wind direction, and
precipitation. Each provides either 2-minute or
5-minute averaged data; and 1-hour observations
are stored in the data collection platform. At a
specified time each hour, the data are transmitted
to the GOES (Geosynchronous Operations En-
vironmental Satellite) andthen tothe DARR Direct
Reading Ground Station in Denver,
Colorado. The data can be accessed immediately
by field personnel through telephone networks.

It was concluded that the PROBE stations would
be an ideal tool for remote monitoring of wind for
the Wind Site Prospecting Program. The cost of
the stations were shared by the Division of
Research, Department of Energy, and the Bureau
Regional Offices. Since the average hourly power
density is nearly as accurate using a 5-minute
average every 15 minutes, as from a continous
5-minute average, the former method is used
because it requires less solar photovoltaic power
by the PROBE station.

The following is a list of the wind sites that have
been, or are presently being, monitored. The ap-
proximate location of these sites are shown in
figure 1. A typical monthly wind site report is
shown in appendix B. These monthly reports are
combined into an annual report as shown in
appendix C.

PLATFORM

The PROBE physical platform is a freestanding,
high windload structure made of lightweight
aluminum, as shown in figure 2. It consists of a
6,86-meter tripod mast, a lockable NEMA 12
enclosure, and an armor shielding for protection
of the electronics package. The tripod mast, with
integral guy wires, is designed to limit mast whip
to less than :t 5 centimeters. The aluminum
structure provides support for the NEMA 12
enclosure, the vane-aspirated temperature shield,
wind sensors, solar panels, and antennas. The
NEMA 12 enclosure houses the HANDAR Data