Using bias-corrected reanalysis to simulate current and future wind power output

Reanalysis models are rapidly gaining popularity for simulating wind power output due to their convenience and global coverage. However, they should only be relied upon once thoroughly proven. This paper reports the first international validation of reanalysis for wind energy, testing NASA's MERRA and MERRA-2 in 23 European countries. Both reanalyses suffer significant spatial bias, overestimating wind output by 50% in northwest Europe and underestimating by 30% in the Mediterranean. We derive national correction factors, and show that after calibration national hourly output can be modelled with R2 above 0.95. Our underlying data are made freely available to aid future research. We then assess Europe's wind…

• UE
  UK Energy Research Centre

  Award: EP/L024756/1
• IC
  Imperial College London
• UO
  University of Reading
• UU
  Uppsala Universitet
• EA
  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  Award: EP/L024756/1