Wind Resource Assessment

For several years the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory has been characterizing the renewable energy resource base of New England in an effort to determine the potential for renewable energy in the region. RERL is currently conducting several wind resource assessment projects throughout Massachusetts, including sites offshore.

Typically, RERL uses anemometers and wind vanes on met towers to collect wind speed and direction data at multiple heights on a tower. Other sensors are often used to collect temperature and solar data. Recently, RERL has received a SODAR (Sound Detection and Ranging Device) and a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to study a broad range of wind characteristics. The current projects are supported by many sponsors including: Northeast Utilities (NU), the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources (DOER), the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust (MRET), HealthLink, and the Marblehead Municipal Light Department. Much of the resource data is public domain and can be downloaded directly from RERL's wind data website.

The following list provides some information about a few of the renewable energy resource assessment projects at RERL, as well as a description of the instrumentation used:

Mt. Tom - Wind has been monitored on Mount Tom for many years and this can be used as a long-term reference point for other sites in the area.
	Marblehead - Massachusetts North Shore citizens group HealthLink requested the services of RERL to assess their wind resource, and technical support for the promotion of windpower in their town and/or region. RERL has surveyed the town and surrounding area for potential sites, met with town officials and the municipal electric light department. With the cooperation of the light department, RERL staff mounted anemometry on an existing cell tower in town.
Thompson Island - Under the sponsorship of Massachusetts DOER, RERL has measured the wind on this Boston Harbor Island for a number of years. A RERL feasibility report for the island is available.
	Bishop and Clerks - With the support of Northeast Utilities and the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut, RERL continues to monitor wind at the Coast Guard's Bishop and Clerks light in Nantucket Sound.
You can also view all of the publicly available project/location data that RERL has been involved in.