Evaluating offshore wind energy resource by spaceborne radar sensors: the use of advanced signal processing techniques

In the framework of the current development of offshore wind energy exploitation, an accurate evaluation of the wind potential is crucial for sitting windmills. Nowadays, the resource is evaluated by intrusive means that provide discrete measurements. These measurements must be extrapolated in order to provide a global wind resource map. But in this case, local conditions and variations of wind are not expressed. This paper deals with a methodology developed to provide accurate offshore wind potential statistics. Firstly, the method developed to obtain accurate wind maps from ERS SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images is presented. Then, considering the need of dense statistical information for evaluating the wind potential, a data fusion methodology is exposed.