THE MIRADOR PROJECT: ENHANCING THE ASSESSMENT OF OFFSHORE WIND RESOURCES WITH MICROWAVE RADIOMETERS

J. Shenolikar¹, S. Fiedler¹, H. Juchem¹, J. Schrepfer¹, F. Mu¹, H. Czekala², J. Gottschall³, C. Starost⁴

¹Heidelberg University, ²RPG Radiometer Physics GmbH, ³Fraunhofer-IWES, ⁴The Carbon Trust

In the light of Climate Change, and the dangerous extreme weather it is causing, European governments have increased their efforts to accelerate the transition from fossil fuel to renewable methods of electricity generation. A key component of the green transition is the deployment of renewable energy projects, including solar and wind farm installations.

To meet their ambitious decarbonization targets, it will be crucial to maximize the effectiveness of wind resources, particularly offshore wind resources. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global wind energy capacity is expected to double between 2024 and 2030, with offshore wind capacity in particular set to quadruple over the same period. In order to maximize the economic value of these installations, research is needed to understand cost-optimized wind farm layouts and operational strategies.

We present The Microwave Radiometer for the Detection and Assessment of Offshore Wind Resources (MiRadOr) project, a year-long measurement campaign investigating how Microwave Radiometer (MWR) technologies can be used to improve the assessment of offshore wind resources. MiRadOr evaluates vertical profiles of temperature and humidity and compares them against traditional radiosonde and meteorological mast observations, as well as output from numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate models.

The goal is to understand the dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer in the context of wind energy. We will evaluate the quality and reliability of MWR observations, when combined with established wind LiDAR technologies, for assessing atmospheric stability, a key metric for wind energy. We also seek to use MWRs to understand meteorological phenomena that can influence power production, such as low-level jets, turbine-induced wakes and blockages and mid-latitude storms.

Finally, the MiRadOr project aims to further develop MWR technologies for use in wholly offshore installations, such as buoys. We will develop an algorithmic method to retrieve useful MWR signal through a physical platform which simulates ocean-wave movement and impacts.