Weather data from nation’s largest wind farms could improve U.S. models, forecasts

Two of the nation’s largest producers of wind-generated electric power will share privately-collected weather data with NOAA, providing agency scientists with additional observations from wind farms across the nation for research and operations.

NOAA now has data sharing agreements with Iberdrola Renewables of Portland, Ore., and NextEra Energy Resources of Juno Beach, Fla.—the country’s two largest generators of wind-generated electric power, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

The companies will provide valuable weather observations from instrumented towers in their wind farms and wind speed data from instruments atop wind turbines. Since 2011, Xcel Energy of Minneapolis, Minn. has provided similar observations to NOAA.

“We appreciate this opportunity to work with industry and are eager to start similar data sharing agreements with other industry partners,” said Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction and NOAA deputy administrator. “Everyone who uses weather information will benefit from these additional data. These observations are made at altitudes that are not routinely observed. The more information we are able to collect leads to more accurate predictions.”

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2012/20121114_windfarm.html