Satellite Remote Sensing in Offshore Wind Energy

Satellite remote sensing of ocean surface winds are presented with focus on wind energy applications. The history on operational and research-based satellite ocean wind mapping is briefly described for passive microwave, scatterometer and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Currently 6 GW installed capacity is found in the European Seas.

The European Wind Energy Association, EWEA, expects the cumulative offshore capacity in Europe will reach 150 GW in year 2030. The offshore environment is far less well-known than over land and this increases the challenge of planning, operation and maintenance offshore. Satellitebased ocean surface wind data can fill a gap in our understanding of marine winds, their temporal and spatial variations.

The statistics from satellite-based ocean surface wind maps include wind resources, long-term trend analysis and daily variations in winds. Some examples using data from passive microwave radiometer, scatterometer and SAR are presented from the North Sea and Baltic Sea. These seas are home to the majority of offshore wind farms today and many new offshore wind farm projects are in progress here.