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Training
An introduction to meteorology
for wind energy professionals
The onshore and offshore wind industry is vulnerable to many
different types of weather. It is possible to mitigate some risks and
sometimes equipment or work schedules can be adapted to reduce
the expected exposure — but weather can still prove very costly.
People using weather information for their operational decision
making can benefit greatly from an increased understanding of
meteorology to help them interpret the information correctly.
The Met Office College has developed this modular introduction to
meteorology course specifically for the wind energy industry.
Modular course overview
Detailed module descriptions
Aim
Core module — weather regimes and weather fronts
Localised wind effects
To help professionals in the wind energy industry better
understand and interpret meteorological information, so they
can optimise operations and site safety.
Understanding of weather regimes or airmass types is
important to all sectors of the renewables industry. An
airmass may cover a large area and persist for several days. In
fact, most “daily weather” is actually “airmass weather”.
By enhancing or reducing the general wind flow, local winds
can have a significant impact on energy demand forecasting
and production. This module describes the formation of some
of these localised winds (e.g. sea breezes and katabatics), and
examines wind flow around local obstacles.
Who is this modular course for?
Staff utilising meteorological information for operational
decision making in relation to wind farms. However it will be
of benefit to professionals in all sectors of the renewables
industry.
How to choose your modules
Choose four modules from the list below:
Available modules:
• Core module – weather regimes and fronts
• Weather hazards
• General wind effects
• Localised wind effects
• Sea state
The weather each airmass brings varies — some bring bitterly
cold temperatures that force energy demand upwards, others
bring clusters of heavy thunderstorms, making maintenance
routines difficult. This core module examines airmasses that
affect the wind energy industry, including airmass variations
due to location, season, etc.
•
Maritime airmasses – Arctic, Polar and Tropical.
•
Continental airmasses – Polar and Tropical.
Fronts are often associated with poor weather (e.g. damaging
winds, heavy snow or rain etc.). Here we examine where
and why fronts form, the weather they bring, and how to
recognise differences between the following types of
weather front:
• Met Office forecasts
•
Cold fronts
Other modules available upon request.
•
Warm fronts
•
Occluded fronts
Other information
•
Exercise activities will be included during the day
to consolidate the topics covered.
•
Certificates will be supplied upon completion of
the course.
•
Courses can either be held at customer premises
or at the Met Office College’s first-class training
facilities in Exeter.
•
Courses held at the Met Office College in Exeter
can include a tour of the Met Office headquarters
including the Operations Centre.
Sea state
As wind farms increasingly become situated offshore, the
value of understanding the marine environment is growing.
This module will explain how waves form, swell, waves and
tide interactions, and will describe how surge forecasts have
radically changed in recent years.
Met Office forecasts
Our scientific capability has reached the point where forecast
data can be indistinguishable from observational data.
This level of detail enables opportunities for greatly increased
forecast accuracy, but also brings an increased risk of
misinterpretation. Knowing how a forecast is created, and
how the confidence factor attributed to it is assessed, enables
better decision-making and communication within the
wind energy industry. This module will examine and explain
a variety of relevant forecasts, including the most recent
probabilistic ensemble-generated products.
For advanced students, an explanation of split/upper fronts
is also available.
Weather hazards
This module looks at several of the main weather hazards,
how they affect the wind energy industry and what can be
done to moderate their affects.
Hazards include:
Those that use the following Met Office services can
have modules added to understand more about them
and how to get more from them.
VisualEyesTM
VisualEyesTM is a web-based weather alert system to help
monitor wind farm assets in the UK and Europe.
•
Thunderstorms – lightning
Virtual Met MastTM
•
Strong winds
•
Snow
•
Freezing rain
Virtual Met MastTM is a site-specific, hub-height wind
prediction tool specifically designed for wind farm
developers and consultants.
•
Poor visibility (includes fog formation and dissipation)
Wind Production Forecast
•
General wind effects
The Wind Production Forecast is a site-specific weather
forecast to help customers accurately forecast future
power outputs from wind farm assets.
What causes the general airflow we know as wind to form?
Why do winds often fade after dusk? This module examines
those questions and explains turbulence, squalls, and
gustiness. A practical exercise in interpreting winds from
synoptic charts is included.
Why choose the Met Office?
• The Met Office is a world-leading provider of weather
and climate services and is consistently one of the top two
operational weather forecasting services in the world.
• The Met Office has been providing meteorological tuition
for more than 70 years and has earned a reputation for
being a world-leading provider of weather and climate
training.
• Our team of more than 20 trainers is experienced in many
fields including aviation forecasting, climate science, road
forecasting, observing and marine forecasting.
• The Met Office Hadley Centre is ranked as the number one
geosciences research centre in the world.
• With the Met Office’s extensive range of data and scientific
expertise, you can be assured of receiving first-class forecast
information.
• Our Unified Model is recognised as one of the leading
numerical models for weather forecasting.
• Our supercomputer is one of the largest in Europe and
carries out 127 trillion calculations per second.
• Our training combines scientific excellence with hands-on
experience and being situated within the Met Office
headquarters means that you have easy access to some
great facilities that can help you in your training.
For more information about how our training courses
can help with your planning and operations call 0870 900 0100
or email [email protected]
Met Office
FitzRoy Road, Exeter
Devon, EX1 3PB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44(0)1392 885680
Fax: +44(0)1392 885681
[email protected]
www.metoffice.gov.uk/training
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