Knowledge of the spatio-temporal variations in the distribution of offshore wind, particularly at high spatial and temporal resolutions, is of critical importance for assessing offshore wind potential and related energy resources, as well as for planning relevant economic activities ranging from offshore wind farm siting to marine spatial planning.
The project “Geostatistical downscaling of wind field predictions using high resolution satellite data” (GeoWindSat) aims to develop novel geostatistical methods for increasing the spatial resolution of physically-based wind field estimates (hindcasts), derived from Numerical Weather Predictions (NWP), capitalizing on modern satellite data, namely Synthetic Aperture Radar data derived from the Sentinel 1 sensor(s). These methods will be employed to create a repository of high resolution estimates for offshore areas of Cyprus, which can then be used to carry out wind energy resource assessments.
Furthermore, project GeoWindSat aims at putting together a competent scientific team on research regarding offshore wind assessment, thus building the foundations for future synergies and further enhancement of wind-related research specifically applied to Cyprus. In terms of social and economic factors, the project is expected to offer constructive knowledge in the field of wind assessment that can be further used in future research to address the societal challenge of energy efficiency, in terms of wind energy, and promote Cyprus’s smart blue growth.
