New Jersey Offshore Wind Resource Modeling
(Room Capitol B)
16 Oct 18
1:30 PM
-
2:45 PM
Tracks:
Resource Assessment
Since 2011, the NJ BPU has funded offshore wind resource assessment modeling by the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL). The model consists of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with a customized setup that utilizes a unique sea surface temperature input that captures coastal cold water upwelling prevalent in the coastal Mid-Atlantic, and features a field of virtual met towers providing wind speed data for the NJ lease areas that cover 344,000 acres of open ocean. The cold water upwelling is a significant factor in accurately understanding the wind resource due to its impacts on coastal storms and sea breezes. The RU-WRF model covers at high resolution all of the wind energy areas in the Mid-Atlantic, and the BOEM NY Bight proposed call areas. It has been extensively validated using offshore buoy data and coastal stations and is currently undergoing an external validation by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).