Advancements in Wind Integration Study Input Data Modeling: The Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit

Regional wind integration studies in the United States, such as the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS), Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (EWITS), and Eastern Renewable Generation Integration Study (ERGIS), perform detailed simulations of the power system to determine the impact of high wind and solar energy penetrations on power systems operations. Some of the specific aspects examined include: infrastructure requirements, impacts on grid operations and conventional generators, ancillary service requirements, as well as the benefits of geographic diversity and forecasting. These studies require geographically broad and temporally consistent wind and solar power production input datasets that realistically reflect the ramping characteristics, spatial and temporal correlations, and capacity factors of wind and solar power plant production, and are time-synchronous with load profiles. The original western and eastern wind datasets were generated independently for 2004-2006 using numerical weather prediction (NWP) models run on a ~2 km grid with 10-minute resolution. Each utilized its own site selection process to augment existing wind plants with simulated sites of high development potential. The original dataset also included day-ahead simulated forecasts. These datasets were the first of their kind and many lessons were learned from their development. For example, the modeling approach used generated periodic false ramps that later had to be removed due to unrealistic impacts on ancillary service requirements.

For several years, stakeholders have been requesting an updated dataset that: 1) covers more recent years; 2) spans four or more years to better evaluate interannual variability; 3) uses improved methods to minimize false ramps and spatial seams; 4) better incorporates solar power production inputs; and 5) is more easily accessible. To address these needs, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind and Solar Programs have funded two projects to develop updated datasets: the Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit and the Solar Integration National Dataset (SIND) Toolkit. The WIND Toolkit spans 2007-2013 using advanced NWP methods run on a nationwide 2-km grid with 5-minute resolution, and includes over 110,000 onshore and offshore wind power production sites. This paper and presentation will discuss an overview of the WIND Toolkit modeling advancements, site selection, data accessibility, and validation results.