EMD-ConWx Meso Data Europe

Blue/yellow dots illustrate nearest EMD-ConWx Meso scale grid points, green dots are nearest MERRA grid points for comparison.

WindPRO 2.9 introduces a high resolution Meso scale data set covering Europe. The data are modeled and computed in-house - in collaboration between EMD and ConWx (http://www.conwx.com) who are experts in Meso scale modelling.

Note: This data-set requires an additional license to use (see below).

Dataset Description

The Meso scale model is run at a high spatial resolution of 0.03°x0.03°, approximately 3x3 km with hourly temporal resolution. ERA Interim data from ECMWF (http://www.ecmwf.int) is the global boundary data set. The different parameters in the EMD-ConWx dataset that is available from within WindPRO is shown in the table below.

Timespan is at least 10 years back, extended to cover minimum 20 years during 2013. Data are updated monthly with approximate 3 months delay defined by ERA Interims availability and computational efforts at EMD high-performace computer clusters.

Data access is via WindPRO’s user friendly interface to on-line data and payment of an annual subscription fee.

Table: Overview of EMD-ConWx Meso Dataset Parameters (3 km grid).

Parameter	Description
time	UTC time stamp
psfc	Pressure at site [hPa]
msl	Pressure at mean sea level [hPa]
wSpeed.x	Wind speeds at different physical levels (x). Heights (x): 10m, 25m, 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 200m
wDir.x	Wind speeds at different physical levels (x). Heights (x): 10m, 25m, 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 200m
wSpeed.0-30mb	Wind speeds at pressure level 0-30mb.
wDir.0-30mb	Wind speeds at pressure levels 0-30mb.
wSpeed.850hpa	Wind speeds at pressure level 850hPa.
wDir.850hpa	Wind speeds at pressure levels 850hPa.
wSpeedAtPressure.850	Wind speed at 850 hPa pressure level (approx. 1500 m)
wDirAtPressure.850temperatureAtPressure.1000	Wind direction at 850 hPa pressure level (approx. 1500 m)
temperatureAtPressure.1000	Wind direction at 1000 hPa pressure level (approx. at sea level)

Required modules/licenses

To access the EMD-ConWx Meso scale data the following licenses/modules are required in your WindPRO setup:

• Basis
• MCP
• EMD-ConWx Meso Data, Europe

When the license fee is payed, then you have access to the full data-set without further cost.

Model Domain

The model domain for the EMD-ConWx model is shown in the figure below. Our new data set covers Europe including larger parts of Turkey and Ukraine, excluding the northern extreme of Scandinavia.

Illustration of the data coverage of the EMD-ConWx Meso Scale Data. Colors illustrate a snapshot of wind speed variations across Europe for one of the modeled hourly intervals.

Model Experiences

The model-setup has been validated through various internal investigations on masts around Europe. Direct comparison against a tall Danish mast at Høvsøre is found on the second page of the EMD-ConWx Meso datasheet available.

EMD and some users has found that the absolute levels of the wind speeds may be 10%-15% off at some Central European locations. However, note, that this data-set was not designed to replace a mast but rather intended for long-term corrections of local masts. For this purpose we have excellent experience with the use of the data – the absolute level do not need to be correct, as long it is consistent.

For the absolute levels to be (more) correct and potentially useful for direct micro-siting analysis', the need to incorporate a down-scaling procedure and further proper utilizing a micro-scale model with associated micro-scale data is currently being investigated (2013).