3TIER Releases 5 km Wind Map of the World

Dec 5, 2008 - Clean Edge News

3TIER, a provider of global renewable energy assessment and forecasting, recently unveiled a 5 kilometer resolution global wind map based upon what it claims is the most accurate, consistent and comprehensive dataset ever created of global wind resources and their spatial and temporal variability.

According to the company, 3TIER's system integrates statistical methods with the power of physical-based models, which simulate the interaction between the atmosphere and the earth's surface, to create a more robust and accurate wind climatology than traditional mapping technology. That means the myriad processes responsible for wind - from jet level dynamics to surface level processes and everything in between - are accounted for in these models. They are able to create realistic wind fields throughout the world, with the results especially enlightening in regions where observations are not available.

3TIER ran its model through a 10-year simulation across the world's landmass at a 5 km resolution. The results then were calibrated and validated with observational data to create the final dataset and, ultimately, the world wind map.

The 5 km global wind map will be available free online in the first portion of 2009 through 3TIER's FirstLook Prospecting tool at http://firstlook.3tiergroup.com/wind/.