NUMERICAL WEATHER MODELS FOR RESOURCE ASSESSMENT OF ALPINE WIND POWER

Introduction With the decision to move away from nuclear-based power generation, Switzerland has committed itself to an ambitious energy transition. Wind power appears a suitable candidate to partially fill the gap left behind by nuclear. It has a favorable seasonal profile, which is highly compatible with Switzerland’s hydropower (Dujardin et al. 2017) and due to its low associated emissions, aligns well with climate targets. Much uncertainty surrounds the potential for wind power development in Switzerland however. Based on course resolution assessments, potential appears small. However on closer inspection, local terrain effects appear to lead to favorable wind conditions, especially in the alpine (Kruyt et al. 2017). Model based resource assessment Using output from the COSMO-1 model, we calculate how much capacity is required to produce an annual wind power target of 4, 6 or even 12 TWh. We find that allowing for turbines at high elevations reduces the capacity that is required to meet each target. Terrain induced flows Building on the results obtained with the COSMO model, simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are conducted (Figure 2). Here we aim to explore if the increased spatial and temporal resolution can help identify areas where terrain induced flows lead to favorable conditions for wind power development. Data from weather stations, as well as existing turbines in the Swiss Alps is used to validate the model performance.