Wind Estimates At The Norwegian West Coast From Modelling, In Situ and Satellite Observations

The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a unique instrument for measuring wind along coasts, in estuaries, fjords and lakes due to the high spatial resolution (about 100mby100m). SAR is measuring the sea surface roughness due to short gravity waves and these measurements can be translated into wind speed using empirical C-band models. Retrieved wind fields from SAR give an overview of local offshore wind conditions and may act as a supplement to existing methods for wind turbine siting. There is a potential for such satellite data to reduce cost of wind farms planning by improving the efficiency in selecting sites for making in situ observations.