Influence of Vertical Wind Shear on the Annual Energy Production of a Coastal Region in Northeastern Brazil

Wind has characteristics that are not captured by standard models, and variations in wind flow can cause a significant difference between expected and actual energy production at some power plants. Given the Brazilian wind potential and the need to understand the impact of micrometeorological phenomena on wind turbine performance, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the Annual Energy Production determined by two different methods: using Hub Height Wind Speed (HHWS) and using the Rotor Equivalent Wind Speeds (REWS). These two predictions are compared and their differences investigated taking into account the local micrometeorological phenomena that cause variations in the wind flow, such as atmospheric stability and wind shear. Results demonstrate that the HHWS can overestimate the REWS method up to 30
^%
, specially in regions where there is significant diurnal variability of wind shear.