On behalf of the State Ministry of the Environment of Hesse, TÜV SÜD developed a wind map for the German federal state of Hesse. The wind map offers a high level of accuracy which makes it an important tool for identifying wind priority areas.

This map of the wind resource potential enabled the state government of Hesse to supply the regional associations with an important planning tool. Standardized state-wide wind mapping gives regional planning authorities a basis for decision-making to identify areas which are particularly suitable for future wind-farm projects. "Our wind map is prepared in accordance with the state of the art and with the help of a special modelling program which supplies informative results even in complex terrain", explains Peter Herbert Meier, Head of Wind Assessments at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. "The result is a comprehensive map of the wind resource potential across the German state of Hesse that can be used in compliance with the provisions of Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, EEG)."

For wind mapping, Peter Herbert Meier and his team of meteorologists, physics, geographers and engineers collected and evaluated data of meteorological stations and wind measurements at existing wind farms. "We calculated the average wind speed at three hub heights", explains Meier. The average wind speed at a specific site is critical for the suitability of an area or location as a wind farm site. In contrast to other wind maps, the TÜV SÜD experts validated the complex 3D model with real data from existing wind farms. According to the experts, by choosing this approach they succeeded in significantly improving the accuracy and informative value of the map.

TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH has long-standing experience with wind power utilization – from type certification of onshore and offshore wind farms to feasibility studies, wind measurements and even one-stop support for complete wind-farm projects – and holds all the required national and international accreditations. "We are very happy that we won this challenging contract to draw up a wind map for Hesse", says Peter Herbert Meier. "It permits us to build on our successful work in Baden-Wuerttemberg, where we developed a state-wide wind atlas on behalf of the Ministry of the Economy."