Trends in 100m Wind Speed using Global High-Resolution Downscaled Analysis

Abstract:

The strength and variability of the wind energy resource are expected to be susceptible to the complex changes undergoing Earth's climate system. A variety of physical mechanisms for long-term wind speed changes has been proposed, including modified temperature gradients, shifting storm tracks and altered land use. This study is an analysis of multi-decadal wind speed trends within a high-resolution downscaled global analysis provided by our collaborators at Vestas Wind Systems A/S. We have sought to identify the regions and landscape types that most exhibit long-term changes to wind speed and identify the mechanisms responsible.