Wind energy resource survey of New Zealand: Phases 2 and 3: Canterbury

Abstract

A regional wind energy resource assessment of Canterbury was carried out using long-term climatological and anemograph wind data from the Meteorological Service. This was supplemented in some data-sparse areas by additional wind observations. A standard height of 50 m AGL was chosen and data was scaled to this height with reference to the site roughness. The major land area of the region is the Canterbury Plains extending over 5000 km 2. Mean wind speeds (at 50 m) vary from about 5 m/s inland to 6 to 7 m/s near the coast, averaging around 6 m/s. Windier areas, which would provide wind farm candidate sites, lie along the coastal strip both north and south of Banks Peninsula, on Banks Peninsula, in the river valleys and gorges of the Rakaia, Rangitata and Waitaki Rivers, and on the summits and ridges of the North and South Canterbury hills. These sites typically have mean wind speeds (at 50 m) around 7 m/s. In total these candidate sites are estimated to be able to generate 100 PJ annually from a capacity of about 12000 MW.