Research Abstracts 1991-1992: Report No. 92-02

Walker, S.N. and P. L. Barbour, "Program Outline for Refinement of Estimated Pacific Northwest Wind Resources," OSU Wind Research Cooperative, WRC Report No. 92-02, June 1, 1992, 15 pp., $3.75

Estimates of the total wind resource potential in the Pacific Northwest have helped wind be viewed as a promising energy resource for the region.  While these estimates are essential to the future development of wind energy in the region they are, in may cases, based on wind data that is considered to be insufficient or of poor quality.  In addition, uncertainties remain concerning the ability to develop specific areas.  These uncertainties include the availability of transmission lines, the effects and boundaries of environmental barriers, the implications of various land use constraints, and uncertainties involving the amount of land available for development.

This outline proposed steps that should be taken to improve the estimates and address uncertainties of the wind resource potential in the Pacific Northwest. The outline included a proposal to re-instrument several sites where development potential is good but where existing data is insufficient. Effort was also recommended on identifying major uncertainties in these areas and on assessing their implications. This proposed program would result in an update of the WIND REAP study (BPA 85-19) which summarized all of the wind data collected in the Pacific Northwest up to 1984.