Wind energy is the fastest growing energy technology in the world. The decision to install wind turbines to generate electrical energy, whether on the small scale for home or farm or on the commercial scale for community energy benefit or for profit, is made by farmers, the community at large, financial lenders, local government, state and federal policy makers. These decisions are fundamentally financial. Generally it makes no sense to install a wind energy generation system unless it is economically viable. The key to making any wind project a financial success is the careful consideration of the meteorological data at the proposed wind site.

Wind resources are site specific. That is, the wind flow at any particular location is affected by topography, surface roughness such as trees and buildings as well as diurnal, seasonal, annual and global trends. Wind turbines are sensitive to small changes in wind speed. In fact, a one mph change in wind speed (an increase in wind speed from 11 mph to 12 mph for example) results in a 33 % increase in power available in that wind. In almost all areas conducive to wind energy development existing meteorological data is sparse. Airport data and mesoscale modeling have their uses but they are little help to wind turbine manufacturers as well as the financial institutions that require high resolution data collected on-site. Farmers, home owners or communities making the decision to install small wind turbines are easily frustrated in trying to understand their wind resource and whether or not wind energy can work at their particular location. Often they contact the local forecast meteorologist who has little understanding of the nuances of the wind energy field or they consult the available 'wind maps' which typically lack the resolution necessary for accurately making these assessments.

Financial calculators are available to assist in the decision making process. These critically depend on meteorological input. This presentation will explore the use of meteorological data in the decision making process of the typical farmer or homeowner for the installation of wind turbines to produce electricity.