TGS has completed a regional wind and metocean data collection campaign along the US East Coast ahead of the Central Atlantic Offshore Wind auction.
This campaign involved deploying and simultaneously operating five offshore LiDAR buoys covering nearly 600 kilometres from Massachusetts to the Virginia/North Carolina border.
Data were collected from July 2022 through July 2024.
All campaigns were conducted under the TGS multi-client approach, allowing multiple customers to subscribe to the same floating LiDAR data, the company said.
This model helps offshore wind stakeholders reduce costs and timescales associated with acquiring bankable wind and metocean data while minimizing energy uncertainty, it added.
TGS used the collected data to bias-correct its high-resolution Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model simulations.
Both the quality-controlled measurement data and the bias-corrected NWP model data are being utilised by developers to inform and refine their bidding strategies for BOEM’s upcoming Central Atlantic offshore wind lease auction.
The measured LiDAR data reveals significantly different wind speeds compared to prior wind modeling studies, clearly demonstrating the value of direct measurements and the risks of relying on uncorrected model results for decision-making, TGS said.
It added that providing relevant data to the industry ahead of the Central Atlantic offshore wind auction would enable bidding developers to understand energy potential accurately and make informed decisions.
A comprehensive range of wind and metocean data was collected at each site, including wind speed and direction across a range of turbine hub heights, wave heights, and ocean current data across the full water column.
Additionally, four of the five buoys were equipped with in-air acoustic recording devices to monitor bird and bat activity, seabed-mounted sensors to measure additional metocean parameters, and whale and porpoise acoustic monitors to identify marine mammal vocalizations.
These measurements form a unique dataset, recorded across a vast stretch of the US Coast, providing exclusive insights for mega modelling and extreme weather event studies, and wide-scale calibration of numerical models.
Carel Hooijkaas, executive vice president of New Energy Solutions at TGS, said: “TGS is committed to advancing the global offshore wind industry, and the unparalleled scale of our offshore LiDAR measurements along the US East Coast illustrates this dedication.
“These unique measurements empower developers to accurately assess the true wind resource variability across most of the US East Coast offshore wind lease areas.”
Data was continuously acquired and quality-controlled throughout the deployment, with customers receiving daily access via the Wind AXIOM platform, TGS’s site evaluation and wind data analytics tool.
The combined measurement campaign and its baseline model derivatives are designed with longevity in mind, providing a premier baseline dataset for wind resource analysis for future lease sales and project construction over the next 15 years, TGS said.