Experiences with the Application of the Non-Hydrostatic Mesoscale Model GESIMA for assessing Wind Potential in Complex Terrain

To asses wind potential in complex terrain three dimensional non-hydrostatic models become more and more popular. These models are capable of taking into account the flow pattern in complex terrain. Numerical flow models usually are quite complicated in the modelling itself and experiences on the impact of model parameters are limited. Especially the accuracy of predictions with these models for wind energy applications is still questionable. This paper presents results from numerous calculations using the meso scale model GESIMA for an area of 47 74 km. The calculations are verified using wind speed measurements and wind power data from wind turbines placed in the area of interest. For practical use a criterion for numerical convergence of the model and its unsecurity of results is derived. Sensitivity analysis on the variation of the most important input parameters shows well reproducable results for different model parameters. To reduce computing resources several strategies to speed up the calculations are discussed and first results presented.