Introducing EC FP7 Programme NORSEWInD-Northern Seas Index Database

Offshore development is the key growth area in the wind industry, yet wind speed data is sparse, and what data is available leads to high levels of uncertainty. Till now developers have been willing to live with a high element of risk due to uncertain data as the costs associated with new instrumentation infrastructure are prohibitive in an offshore setting. Data is key to any major engineering project, but when we start to look to offshore development, the importance of having high quality, reliable data is an order of magnitude higher. Data governs the financial aspect of the project. The availablity of wind and its quality dictates terms of finance or likely payback periods on the substantial outlays required to make an offshore development operational. NORSEWInD is a new, 4 year EC FP7 programme designed to deliver high quality, hub height wind Atlases for the Irish, North and Baltic Seas based on physical data. This paper introduces the programme, the project partners and the methodology.