Meeting Summaries: Research Needs for Wind Resource Characterization

Many of the challenges associated with a substantial increase in the use of wind energy reflect fundamental gaps that remain in our knowledge of both atmospheric flow and the interaction of that flow with turbines. To better define these gaps, the DOE's Office of Science and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy jointly convened a workshop to assess the current state of the science for wind power production and to define fruitful directions for research. More than 120 international participants, representing national laboratories, academia, and the wind energy industry, attended the workshop, which focused on the following four potential research areas: (1) turbine dynamics, (2) micrositing and array effects, (3) mesoscale processes, and (4) climate effects. An overview of each area was followed by a discussion that included all participants. Based on the discussions, the participants generated recommendations for new research. This report summarizes the reviews and then details the research recommendations from the workshop.