1. Wind Atlas for South Africa (WASA)
Wind and PV Resource Aggregation study (final results)
PUBLIC PRESENTATION
3 March 2016
CSIR International Convention Centre

2. Outline Historical Wind Atlases for South Africa
Wind Atlas for South Africa (WASA)
WASA methodology
WASA main results & Application
Physical Wind Measurements for Verification
Verified Numerical Wind Atlas VNWA
WRF Time Series
Extreme Wind Atlas
WASA Highlights
Conclusion

3. Historical South African Wind Atlases
DME; R. Diab 1995
SARERD, 2001
Tripod Review of Wind Energy Resources in South Africa (2002) concluded:
These studies are inconclusive and under estimate the true wind energy potential as weather measurement stations at 10 m were used and in may cases these stations are shaded by buildings etc from measuring the true wind potential; and
Recommended that a dedicated wind energy measurement program be
undertaken to confirm South Africa’s true wind energy potential

4. Wind Atlas for South Africa (WASA):
The Wind Atlas for South Africa is a Capacity Development and Research Cooperation Initiative of the
South African Department of Energy (DoE). WASA is implemented by SANEDI.
Phase 1 (2009 – 2014) covers Western Cape and parts of Northern and Eastern Cape provinces and were funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) R8 million with UNDP support through the South African Wind Energy Programme (SAWEP) and co-funded by Danida (DKK9.9 million).
Phase 2 (2014 to 2018) covers the remaining areas of Eastern Cape, KZN and Free State provinces and is funded by the Government of Denmark (DKK 12 million)
SAWEP Phase 2 (to commence) include support to cover remaining areas of the Northern Cape province
Implementation Partners:
UCT CSAG (Climate System Analysis Group, University of Cape Town)
mesoscale modelling
CSIR (Built Environment, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
Measurements, microscale modelling, application
SAWS (South African Weather Service)
extreme wind assessment
DTU Wind Energy* (Dept of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark)
partner in all activities

5. Meso & micro corrections
WASA Methodology
Numerical Wind Atlas
Wind Resource Map
Meso & micro corrections
Verification
WP1 Mesoscale Modelling
WP2 Wind Measurements
WP3 Microscale Modelling
WP4 Application
WP5 Extreme Wind Atlas
WP6 Documentation & Dissemination, see:

6. Physical Wind Measurements for Verification
WM14
WM13
WM15
WM1
WM12
WM WASA 2
(Oct _)
WM11
WM2
WM1-10 WASA 1 ( )
WM9
WM3
WM10
WM6
WM4
WM7
10 minutes data and graphs available online:
Data downloads here:
WM5
WM8

7. The WASA wind measurement campaign
10 meteorological masts were installed
Positions chosen carefully to
cover the WASA domain
be in the representative terrain types and climatology found in the domain
be suitable for modelling
Not chosen for
the ‘windiest’ locations
or ‘best locations’ for wind farms
Data automatically recorded and downloaded remotely and checked regularly to minimize loss of data or data gaps
Designed and installed to IEC standards and Measnet guidelines
Regular maintenance
Image from Google
©2010 Europa Technologies
©2010 Cnes/Spot Image
US Dept of State Geographer
Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO

8. Features of WASA wind met stations
Instrumentation arranged to minimise errors and uncertainties due to flow distortion
Proven sensors of high quality and individually calibrated
Anemometers at five different heights: 10, 20, 40, 60 and 62m
Wind vanes at two heights: 20 & 60m
Temperature and pressure sensors
Data recorded at 10 minute average intervals
Turbulence calculated and recorded

9. Verified Numerical Wind Atlas (VNWA)
VNWA for South Africa, based on WRF Weather Research & Forecasting model (generalised wind climate – mean wind speed, 100 m a.g.l, flat terrain, 3 km x 3 km grid spacing, “virtual wind masts”)
Measurements are used to verify not to create the VNWA

10. It is not all about average wind speeds
A comparison of the distributions of
wind directions
wind speeds
… for the WRF-based NWA also shows very good agreement
WM05 Observed wind atlas
WRF-based NWA
Andrea Hahmann (DTU Wind Energy) “The WRF- based WASA wind atlas is the first wind atlas study where the generalisation has been carried out on the WRF-model output with excellent results.”

11. Seasonal and diurnal cycles in the observations and the WRF simulations

12. WASA Large Scale High Resolution Wind Resource map
Large-scale high-resolution wind resource map launched in April 2014 (local wind climate, 250 m grid spacing with the mean wind 100 a.g.l
On average, the WASA large scale, high resolution, wind resource map estimates the wind speed accurately at the WASA mast sites with an uncertainty of less than 2.2%

13. VNWA Application
Estimation of Annual Energy Production AEP (WASA Guides). Saves time and costs as the bankability of a potential wind farm site can now be estimated and physical wind measurements are to be undertaken for bankable wind sites.
Estimating of the real wind resource potential.
The high-resolution wind resource map depicts the local wind climate that a wind turbine would encounter. It also offers important benefits for developers, policy makers, utilities and the industry, including the following:
Levels the playing field between small and large industry players to identify and develop wind hot spots.
Identifies possible wind development zones in line with the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) studies or in line with frameworks. The DEA’s SEA for solar photovoltaic and wind is an example of such an SEA study and is available at co.za/nationalwindsolarsea/
Long-term grid planning to connect with high-potential wind development areas.
Wind farm planning in positioning (micro siting) the wind turbines for optimal wind exposures.

14. WRF Wind time series data
The wind time series provides hourly data that is particularly useful:
to study the annual, seasonal and diurnal variations in wind resources;
as input to power system modelling;
to study the geographical cross correlation of wind across South
Africa; and
for long-term corrections of the wind resources given by the WRF
wind climate files.
Time series data with spatial and temporal resolutions of 9 km and one hour are available online from 1 Sept 1990 to 31 Dec 2012 (WASA 1). Basis of and further developed for whole of South Africa in the Wind and Solar Resource Aggregation Study for South Africa.

15. WASA Main Results cont: Extreme Wind Atlas
1:50 yr 10 min wind speed 10 m above ground level (standard conditions)

16. WASA Phase 1 Highlights
Website user statistics captured through registration on
 1759 registered users from 66 countries with downloads (April 2015)
WASA is a technical partner and included in the IRENA Global Atlas for Renewable Energy ( ) and used in the verification of the EUDP Global Wind Atlas (globalwindatlas.com)
Some projects, programs etc referencing, making use of WASA:
Dept of Environmental Affairs: Strategic Environmental Assessment, Renewable Energy (PV, Wind) Development zones, approved by Cabinet for Gazetting, 17 Feb 2016   
World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, Renewable Energy Resource Mapping Initiative Renewable Energy Mapping: Wind in Pakistan, South Asia Region, Project ID: P146140, Selection:
Palestinian Energy Authority Request for Proposal for the Energy Section Assistance in Palestine, Phase V (RFP No. Phase V-PEA/CS-W).

17. WASA Phase 1 Highlights cont.
Feasibility of the WWF Renewable Energy Vision South Africa
CSIR Energy Centre, SANEDI Eskom PV & Wind Aggregation study
Danish RE EE Program: System adequacy and reserve margins with increasing levels of variable generation
Courses at Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), making use of WASA: WasP, WAsP e-learning courses, DTU course on Planning and Development of Wind Farms
The WASA is the first project to use the DTU wind resource mapping tool Frogfoot successfully at a large scale when it created the large scale high resolution wind resource map.
The WASA WRF based wind atlas is the 1st wind atlas study where the generalisation has been carried out on the WRF-model output with excellent results.

18. Conclusion State of the Art Wind Atlas method
Public domain through websites
Transparent methodology no “black box”
Verified with proper wind measurements, traceable
Data + Application, Guidelines, Training
Level playing field
Save time and money
Not a substitution for mandatory wind measurements
(information, presentations)
(wind measurement mast online graphs)
(final reports, guides, data downloads)
WRF (WRF wind forecasting)
Numerical Wind Atlas database access through Tadpole

19. Minister of Energy, Tina Joemat-Pettersson (speech delivered by Acting DG at the Windaba 2014)
“I am now happy to say the key results of the First Phase that have been independently verified by a team of scientists working on the Wind Atlas project of South Africa using both numerically modelled data and practical observational methods and analysis, confirm that South Africa has an excellent wind resource”
Johan van den Berg, CEO WASA WASA 1 Book
“The opportunity exists now
with private sector continuing measuring the
exact wind regime and WASA expanding to map
the remainder of the country, together confirming
and unlocking South Africa’s excellent wind
resource. The future relevance of WASA looks as
unequivocal as the historical relevance.”
The WASA Phase 1 Book can be downloaded here

20. WASA team

21. Andre Otto