Offshore reanalysis wind speed assessment across the wind turbine rotor layer off the United States Pacific coast

Abstract. The California Pacific coast is characterized by considerable wind resource and areas of dense population, propelling interest in offshore energy as the United States moves toward a sustainable decarbonized future. Reanalysis models continue to serve community multitude ways, need for validation locations where observations have been historically limited, such environments, strong. U.S. Department Energy (DOE) owns two lidar buoys that collect speed across turbine rotor layer along with meteorological oceanographic data near surface characterize resource. Lidar buoy collected from recent deployments off northern Humboldt County central Morro Bay allow commonly used reanalysis products. In this article, speeds Modern-Era Retrospective analysis Research Applications version 2 (MERRA-2), Climate Forecast System (CFSv2), North American Regional (NARR), European Centre Medium-Range Weather Forecasts 5 (ERA5), system Rapid Refresh (RAP) are validated at heights within ranging 50 100 m. results offer guidance on performance uncertainty associated utilizing reanalyses characterization, providing information conditions lead error. At both locations, tend underestimate observed rotor-level Occasions large error occur conjunction stable atmospheric conditions, peak power production (> 10 m s?1), mischaracterization diurnal cycle summer months.