WAsP Suite 12.10: Wind Resource Assessment Software

WAsP Suite 12.1 is the latest major version of the industry-standard PC software for wind resource assessment, siting, and energy yield calculations for wind turbines and wind farms, developed by DTU Wind and Energy Systems . This release introduces an important enhancement to the wind modeling engine.

Key New Feature: Geostrophic Wind Shear Model

The most significant improvement in version 12.1 is the geostrophic wind shear model, which enhances wind climate prediction accuracy .

Capability Description
Model Enhancement WAsP now accounts for geostrophic wind shear, improving the prediction of wind conditions, especially for horizontal extrapolation
Implementation The model uses automatically filled parameters for shear magnitude and direction from global CFSR reanalysis data
Validation Testing across 1085 cross-predictions shows minor but consistent improvements over WAsP 12 without shear
Technical Constraint Geostrophic wind shear is truncated beyond 0.012 s⁻¹ to prevent unexpected results

Core Capabilities

The WAsP Suite provides a complete toolset for wind energy projects :

  • Wind Resource Assessment: Transform observed wind data to generalized wind climates and map wind resources over selected areas

  • Energy Yield Calculations: Predict production for single turbines and wind farms, including wake loss modeling

  • Siting & Site Assessment: Support IEC 61400-1 site assessment, including mean wind speed, wind shear, turbulence, and flow inclination

  • Physical Models: Includes IBZ linear flow model for flat to moderately complex terrain and easy access to WAsP CFD for complex terrain

Applications & Users

  • Industry Standard: Over 6,000 licenses sold in 125+ countries, with more than 250 certified WAsP users

  • Applications: Wind farm planning, turbine siting, energy yield calculations, and wind resource mapping

  • Course Availability: Self-study courses available through DTU Learn for Life, covering WAsP characteristics, limitations, best practices, and pitfalls