Characterization of Mean Wind Profiles and Surface Roughness Assessment from Wind LIDAR Measurements

To evaluate wind loading on medium to high-rise structures, an accurate representation of the mean wind profile and of the structure of turbulence is required. Wind models are currently incorporated in Codes of Practice, which have been theoretically derived and experimentally calibrated. Nevertheless, the limited amount of data makes such calibration questionable at times. Wind LIDARS have recently appeared and are becoming more and more common for the assessment of wind power and for the monitoring of wind characteristics. They provide a direct measurement of the wind velocity at the site and at the height of interest and offer the possibility of analysing the spatial distribution of mean and fluctuating wind speed. In this paper, wind LIDAR measurements are used to characterize the vertical wind profile, to calibrate surface roughness to be used in wind models and to discuss their accuracy.