Oh, Canada!
If, like me, you think extracting the bitumen from the Alberta tar sands for oil is an object lesson in unsustainability, you’ll be glad to know that 3TIER has added Canada to the FirstLook 5 kilometer-resolution wind map portfolio.
The Canadian Wind Energy Association reports:
In the past few years, wind energy production in Canada has grown to 1,856 MW. While this is encouraging, Canada still has vast untapped wind resources available. In fact, there is the potential in Canada for wind energy to meet a full 20% of all our electricity needs.
3TIER wind maps are now available for Alaska, too. The Alaska Energy Authority “lends out” met towers and data collecting equipment to communities that want to find out if they have the potential for municipal wind projects. I applaud Alaska, a state so rich in oil that its denizens get a divided check each year, for its commitment to renewable energy.
Some other states, like Ohio and Texas, have met tower loaner programs. Have any readers made use of them?
Tags: Alaska, Canada, FirstLook, wind map
Author: Leah Kauffman
May 20th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Hello Mr Kauffman,
This new service FirstLook in the region of Canada is quite interesting. I’m happy to see to that you have extended your services in North America. But I was wondering, what is the gain in the developer’s or consultant’s perspective in regards to the quality/validity of wind speeds between FirstLook and Anemoscope?
Thanks,
Mistral
May 21st, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Hi Mistral,
Thanks for the feedback and we are glad that you have found the Canadian FirstLook map to be of interest. 3TIER has done a large number of wind resource assessments throughout the world, and one thing that we have learned is that all wind atlases have sources of uncertainty and error that depend on the assumptions and limitations of the techniques used to make them. Our hope is that those interested in developing renewable energies worldwide will consider all sources of information that are easily available to them when making a decision. In this regard, FirstLook provides another opinion regarding Canada’s fantastic wind resource, one based on a different weather simulation model (3TIER used WRF: http://www.wrf-model.org/index.php) and a completely different sampling technique to create the wind climatology. The important point is not to determine which approach is right or wrong, but to realize that the approaches are different and those differences are important.
-The 3TIER Assessment Team
June 5th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hello!
Thanks for the feedback. Interesting. With your comment, I do see some differences between Anemoscope and WRF. The data assimilation and parameterizations are quite different in order to produce the wind climatologies
Best regards,
Ernest