Analysis of atmospheric planetary boundary layer - terrain interactions. Wind industry implications

Abstract

The development of wind energy has a direct effect on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector. This industry is one of the largest anthropogenic contributors to the global problem of climate change. For this reason, and because it is the most expanded renewable energy source in the world, there is a clear need to optimize wind energy exploitation. Numerical modeling is a tool that forms part of the present and future of this sector; because it is able to reproduce the effect of wind farms on the atmosphere and to obtain its short-term production prediction. Besides, meteorological models allow us to improve wind resource analysis methods for any region of the planet. The present thesis aims to achieve a detailed quantification and understanding of the main interactions between atmospheric planet boundary layer and terrain, focusing on the behavior of wind flows at different scales. In addition, we intend to improve the tools, within numerical modeling, for the analysis of such mechanisms, contributing in this manner to the optimization of the use of wind as a resource. The primary tool used in this thesis is the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model. It is a meso and microscale numerical prediction system designed for both atmospheric research and operational forecasting. In most parts of the research, high-resolution simulations are performed with the WRF model. This provides accurate information of near-surface wind fields and turbulent processes in a wide range of atmospheric stability conditions and areas of the planet, both in flat and complex terrain.