Comparing Lidar-Measured and NWP Modeled Rotor-Layer Wind Using Different Time-Averaging Periods and Model Interpolation Techniques

Intelligent design and operation of wind power production facilities requires an understanding of the atmospheric boundary layer processes that control the available wind resource. Two scanning Doppler lidars were deployed to a region of complex terrain in the Columbia River Basin that is home to large scale wind energy production for WFIP-2, Wind Forecast and Improvement Project.   These systems provide precise wind speed and direction measurements in the atmospheric layer where turbines operate (50 -150 m).  Utilizing a scan pattern that includes vertical stare, conical and vertical-slice scans, the lidar measurements are processed to create vertical profiles from near the surface beyond 1.5 km. These vertical profiles were compared to NWP modeled winds. The paper will discuss effect of different time-averaging intervals on comparison statistics between measured and modeled winds and summarize results. The validation of wind speed and direction measurements with modeled wind flow variables extracted at the location of each lidar using 3 different interpolations: closest model grid point, cubic spline or bilinear are presented.