windNavigator®
You are just one click away from the most powerful wind prospecting tool available. Before you start your expedition, please take a moment to fully understand the power of windNavigator®.Value
In the 1990s AWS Truewind revolutionized the way wind prospecting was conducted by releasing its first MesoMap®.
This major advance in wind resource modeling catapulted AWS Truewind to its position as the industry leader. As noted by the US Department of Energy, the introduction of high-resolution wind resource maps pioneered by AWS Truewind played an integral role in furthering the acceptance of wind energy by the broader energy community.
A decade later, the time has come to change the face of wind resource mapping and project siting once again with windNavigator. This powerful tool has many attractive features:
A decade later, the time has come to change the face of wind resource mapping and project siting once again with windNavigator. This powerful tool has many attractive features:
- Convenient: Online access available anytime, anywhere; all you need is an internet connection.
- Accurate: Newly fine-tuned with data from over 1000 wind-monitoring towers in the US and the CWET data set in India, the wind maps available exclusively on windNavigator achieve an unprecedented level of accuracy.
- Detailed: High-resolution wind information at a refined grid scale of 200 m, plus multiple heights above ground. Terrain and demographic data available too.
- Extensive: Available now for the conterminous United States and India, with many more countries to follow soon.
- Flexible: Delivery options include printable PDF and interactive GIS.
- Fast: PDF and GIS data are generally available within one hour of ordering. Free information based on 2.5 km resolution data is available instantly.
- Customized: Project-scale maps and GIS data provide a clear picture of the wind resource and its spatial variability over an area of your choosing.
Tools
windNavigator features several user-friendly tools. You can explore the overview 2.5 km resolution map, toggle base layers using familiar Google Maps tools, and view mean annual wind speeds as well as minimum/maximum speed values based on the underlying 200 m resolution wind map. Once an interesting area is identified, you can define your project area using the Define tools and purchase 200 m resolution wind maps and data for that area using the Download tool. For detailed instruction on how to use windNavigator, please visit the Help Menu located on the application page.
Deliverables
windNavigator provides flexible options geared toward diverse end users and various phases of project development. For preliminary prospecting, PDF maps at your preferred hub height provide a fast and easy way to better understand the wind resource across a defined area.
The GIS data set is an interactive option that allows you to customize views, incorporate other data layers (e.g. land parcels), and print maps at any scale. The GIS data set includes wind speed layers at three standard hub heights, a gross capacity factor layer at 80m based on a generic megawatt-class turbine, and high resolution DEM (digital elevation model) and 2001 land cover data. Included is a color-coded PDF map at the selected hub height illustrated with standard demographic information. The data comes in the universal GeoTIFF format (basemap layers are provided in ESRI Shape format) and appropriate UTM zone projection. With this comprehensive information, you’ll be well equipped to begin charting your course to project realization.
Please note that state-specific maps are available directly from AWS Truewind. Please contact us directly for more information at info@awstruewind.com.
Accuracy
The wind resource maps for the conterminous US delivered through windNavigator have been fine-tuned using reliable measurements from over 1000 towers from both public and authorized private data sources throughout the United States. This rigorous validation process has determined the standard map error to be approximately +0.35 m/s (i.e., the true mean speed is within this range of the map speed at 68% of the map grid points). The wind maps produced for India were extensively validated against the CWET data set and achieve the standard error margin for maps produced with the MesoMap system. Although highly effective for defining the wind characteristics across large areas and for identifying attractive development site prospects, these wind resource maps should not replace on-site wind measurements to confirm wind conditions prior to wind project commitment. For clients with more demanding accuracy requirements on a smaller, project scale, AWS Truewind offers its proven SiteWind® modeling and mapping system. SiteWind produces even higher resolution results and uses on-site data directly to optimize modeling accuracy. For more information on AWS Truewind’s micrositing services, contact us.
Assess wind resources, identify attractive sites, and accelerate the development process with highly dependable results. Chart Your Course™
Proceed to windNavigator