2014, The Crown Estate, Wind Enabling Actions, UK MERRA Validation With Offshore Meteorological Data Study

The UK MERRA offshore validation study was undertaken to gain fresh insight into the extent to which reanalysis (Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, referred to as MERRA) data could be used in support of, or in some cases in substitution for, meteorological data gathered by offshore masts. The study demonstrates the value of the amalgamation of offshore data by The Crown Estate. By studying the database of offshore meteorological data, The Crown Estate has discovered a number of findings, which include suggestions for further work in order to reduce uncertainty and improve modelling. The offshore wind industry and those providing technical support to it are invited to consider the findings, including the requirement for, and priority of, future work.