Strong Wind at Sea

• In the North Sea of Denmark (see Exhibit-1, by Danish Energy Authority), at the height of 50 meters, the annual mean wind velocities are 9 meters per second over large regions of Danish North Sea (in red color), which are 50% higher than those on land (6 meters per second; in green color). Therefore, over these regions, the windpowers at sea are 3.3 times higher than those on land! (As windpower is proportional to wind velocity to the 3rd power!);
• In the North Sea of Germany, about 42 km north of the Island of Borkum, Germany, the annual mean wind velocity there is measured at 9.5 meters per second, at the height of 80 meters!
• Satellite mapping of wind velocities over Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans (by NASA-JPL) indicates strong winds at sea (see Exhibit-2a & 2b).
• Owing to the stronger and steadier wind at sea, the wind turbines in the Nysted Offshore Windfarm of Denmark can generate 70% more electricity/year/kW capacity than those on the shore of Northern Jiangsu, China – even though the Nysted Offshore Windfarm is not located in the high wind regions of the Danish North Sea. Where:
  • Nysted Offshore Windfarm of Denmark is the largest offshore windfarm in the world, with 165.5 MW installed capacity. It has been in operations for over two years! The windfarm is located closed to shore, about 10 km offshore Nysted, Denmark, in shallow water depths of less than 25 meters. Its annual mean velocity is 8.4 meters per second, at the height of 70 meters. It has reported annual electricity generation of 605 GWh, or 3,656 kWh/year/kW capacity!
  • There are good wind resources along the shores of the northern Jiangsu Province, China, with annual mean wind velocity of 7 m/s on shore, at the height of 70 meters, and estimated electricity generation of 2,150 kWh/yr/kW capacity. China’s central government has granted permits to build four Special Concession Windfarms there: Rudong-1, 100 MW; Rudong-2, 150 MW, Dongtai, 200 MW; and Dafeng, 200 MW; for a total of 650 MW to date, with more to come!
• China’s Academy of Meteorological Science estimated that China’s offshore windpower [over shallow waters] is 750 GW, three times higher than that on land. Adding offshore windpower over deep waters, China’s total windpower at sea could be more than ten times higher than that on land.

Exhibit-1: A wind velocity map over Denmark at the height of 50 meters, on land and offshore (by Danish Energy Authority). Deep red color: 9 meters/sec Green color: 6 meters/second.

Exhibit-2a: A Satellite Map of Wind Velocities at Sea (by NASA-JPL)

Exhibit 2b: Mean wind speed and standard deviation over Asia Pacific from QuickSCAT satellite (by NASA-JPL)

Standard Deviation