HR: 0800h
AN: A51A-0026    [Abstracts]
TI: ENSO's Effects on the Wind Energy Production of South Dakota
AU: * Harper, B R
EM: harperb@berkeley.edu
AF: University of California, Berkeley, Energy and Resources Group 310 Barrows Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3050
AB: An aging infrastructure, environmental concerns, and growing demand threaten to undermine the reliability and long-term sustainability of the current fossil fuel electricity supply and transmission system. It is widely agreed that renewable energy sources will become increasingly important in the evolution to a next generation electric grid. In this study we investigated the use and value of climate information in determining the location and performance of wind power turbines in the Northern Great Plains of the United States. Fifty years of hourly wind speed data were used to evaluate the possible influence of seasonal and interannual climate variability on wind power production at four location in South Dakota. The El Nino Southern Oscillation is a documented source of climate variability in the Northern Great Plains. Our results documented a dominant El Nino influence on the probability of a lull in wind speed, with a stronger influence in the eastern half of the state. Information on wind speed lulls in important to the wind energy industry because these are periods when no energy is being produced. All of the locaitons also showed a slight decrease in power production potential during El Nino events. Our preliminary results confirmed that information on climate variability and change can be of significant use and value to future wind power planning, siting, and performance.
UR: http://www.isse.ucar.edu/docs/Bret_final.pdf
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (0429, 3309)
DE: 1630 Impacts of global change (1225)
DE: 3309 Climatology (1616, 1620, 3305, 4215, 8408)
DE: 4522 ENSO (4922)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005