windTrends Bulletin Reports Comparative Analysis of United States and European Wind Speed Deviations for Q4 2010

ALBANY, NY—March 1, 2011—AWS Truepower, LLC, an international leader in renewable energy consulting and information services, today released the latest installment of its windTrends Bulletin, a quarterly analytical wind report. The report reviews wind patterns in the United States and Europe for the fourth quarter of 2010 based on AWS Truepower's windTrends meteorological data set.

The report reveals that the majority of Europe continued to see relatively low wind speeds, with the most affected areas, Iceland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the western coast of Scandinavia, experiencing average wind speeds ranging from 10% to 15% below normal. The British Isles saw the most dramatic deviations reaching 20% below normal in some areas. These patterns reflected a succession of high pressure systems over the British Isles, northern France, Germany and Scandinavia, which blocked or diverted the usual winter storms.
"Most of northern Europe suffered its second straight year of poor winds," noted Joan Aymamí, Vice President and Manager of Europe & South America at AWS Truepower. "Fortunately, in the same period southern Europe came out relatively well. Such differences are a normal reflection of climatic variability."
Conversely, in the United States, near-neutral North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Pacific-North American (PNA) patterns, a strong La Niña - a negative El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - and a strong Bermuda high promoted windier-than-normal conditions for wind power plants throughout the Ohio River Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast regions. The "Pineapple Express", an amplified subtropical Pacific jet stream originating near the Hawaiian Islands, aided in bringing above-normal wind speeds to much of the western United States.
"In particular, wind power plants in Texas and along the eastern seaboard continued to see healthy wind resources, though the upper Great Plains experienced below-normal conditions." said Michael Brower, Chief Technical Officer at AWS Truepower. "Overall, wind performance in 2010 was mixed. While a large swath of the upper Great Plains and Midwest, stretching from Montana in the west down to Nebraska and across to Ohio, ended up somewhat below normal, the deviations were not unusual, and the rest of the country was largely at or above normal."
AWS Truepower's windTrends Bulletin "hind cast" provides wind plant owners, investors and operators with detailed maps that clearly display wind anomalies and climatic fluctuations caused by El Niño and other climate patterns, and explain where and how they impact different regions.
"Our windTrends dataset provides important reference information for project developers,
investors, owners and operators so that they can better understand the impact of wind performance on their portfolios, said José Vidal, Assistant Director for Wind Developer Services at AWS Truepower. "The information is backed by proven science and technology and can assist in evaluating project risk, performance and profitability potential for wind projects."
The full report, windTrends Bulletin: Q4 2010, is available online: http://www.awstruepower.com/wp-content/media/2011/02/AWST-wT-Anomaly-Bulletin-2010-Q4-Final.pdf.
Data for this analysis came from AWS Truepower's windTrends product, a validated database of weather conditions dating back to 1997. Maps, data and monthly reports for wind resource deviations, updated on a monthly basis, are available by subscription to windNavigator® Asset Management. For more information on windTrends or subscription options, please contact us: sales@awstruepower.com.
AWS Truepower, LLC
AWS Truepower has been an international leader in renewable energy consulting and information services for over 25 years. AWS Truepower's suite of integrated services and innovative products support the full project lifecycle from resource and energy assessment, independent engineering, and due diligence, to performance assessment and power production forecasting. AWS Truepower's professional staff possesses in-depth knowledge and experience in all phases of project development and improving operational performance, which ensures a consistent, integrated solution. AWS Truepower is online at awstruepower.com.
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