Wind Energy Resources at Antarctic Stations Based on ERA5

Abstract

The harsh scientific research environment of Antarctic stations demands a reliable energy supply; however, traditional methods not only pose a challenge in supply but also harm the environment. Antarctic energy supply has become a new choice for energy development in Antarctica due to its abundant wind energy resources. Using ERA5 10 m wind field reanalysis data, we compared and analyzed the correlation (r) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between some observation stations and reanalysis data, with correlations above 0.67 and root mean square error below 2.3. This indicates that the accuracy of the ERA5 data is suitable for resource assessment at stations in Antarctica. We assessed the wind energy potential of the Great Wall, Zhongshan, Kunlun and Taishan Stations. The results show that the annual distribution and long-term trend of wind energy at Taishan Station are the best, followed by the Great Wall, Zhongshan and Kunlun Stations. Taishan Station has stable wind direction and abundant wind energy, the average wind power density is 800 W/m2, with an annual growth trend of 2.02 W/m2·yr−1. The effective wind speed occurrence and energy level occurrence are generally above 90% and the coefficient of variation is generally below 0.8. The dominant direction of wind energy is northeast and the wind direction is stable, which is conducive to the development and utilization of wind energy.

Keywords

• Antarctic
• wind energy
• Antarctic station
• ERA5