Wind Energy Analysis

The complete wind energy project design tool

WindPRO by EMD International is the industry-leading software for wind farm planning and analysis. It provides comprehensive tools for site assessment, energy yield calculation, noise and shadow analysis, visual impact assessment, and financial modeling. Used by developers, consultants, and investors worldwide for bankable energy yield assessments.

Key Features:

• ✓Wind resource assessment and energy yield calculation
• ✓Noise, shadow, and visual impact analysis
• ✓Wake effect modeling with multiple wake models
• ✓Financial analysis and project economics
• ✓Regulatory compliance and permitting support
• ✓Integration with measurement data and masts

Best For:

Wind farm developers and consultants who need comprehensive, bankable project analysis for financing and permitting

Pricing:

Licensed software, pricing on request (typically €5,000-15,000/year)

Integrations:

Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program

WAsP, developed by DTU Wind Energy, is the industry standard for wind resource assessment and siting. It uses the wind atlas methodology to predict wind climates and power production at wind turbine sites. WAsP has been used in the development of the majority of the world's wind farms and is essential for bankable feasibility studies.

Key Features:

• ✓Wind atlas methodology for site assessment
• ✓Terrain and roughness modeling
• ✓Wind climate generalization and prediction
• ✓Wake effect calculations
• ✓Power production estimates
• ✓Uncertainty analysis for bankable reports

Best For:

Wind energy professionals needing industry-standard resource assessment accepted by financial institutions

Pricing:

From €2,500/year for single license, educational licenses available

Integrations:

Comprehensive wind farm design and optimization

OpenWind by UL Solutions (formerly AWS Truepower) is a powerful platform for wind farm design, energy assessment, and optimization. It combines advanced wake modeling with automatic layout optimization to maximize energy production while meeting constraints. The software is widely used for due diligence and investment-grade analysis.

Key Features:

• ✓Automatic wind farm layout optimization
• ✓Advanced wake modeling (Eddy Viscosity, Deep Array)
• ✓Energy production uncertainty quantification
• ✓Constraint mapping and setback analysis
• ✓Noise and flicker compliance checking
• ✓Financial modeling and sensitivity analysis

Best For:

Large-scale project developers and investors requiring optimization and investment-grade energy assessments

Pricing:

Enterprise pricing on request

Integrations:

Professional wind data analysis and visualization

Windographer by UL Solutions is specialized software for analyzing, visualizing, and quality-controlling wind measurement data. It handles data from met masts, remote sensing devices (LiDAR, SoDAR), and reanalysis datasets. Essential for transforming raw measurements into validated inputs for energy yield assessments.

Key Features:

• ✓Wind data import from any measurement source
• ✓Automated quality control and gap filling
• ✓Long-term correlation (MCP) with reference data
• ✓Statistical analysis and Weibull fitting
• ✓Wind shear and direction analysis
• ✓Report generation for stakeholders

Best For:

Wind analysts and resource engineers who need to process and validate measurement campaigns

Pricing:

From $1,500/year, enterprise licenses available

Integrations:

CFD-based wind farm analysis for complex terrain

WindSim uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model wind flow over complex terrain with high accuracy. Unlike linear models, WindSim can capture flow separation, recirculation zones, and thermal effects that significantly impact wind resource in mountainous or forested areas. It's essential for challenging sites.

Key Features:

• ✓Full 3D CFD wind flow modeling
• ✓Complex terrain and forest canopy effects
• ✓Thermal stratification and stability modeling
• ✓High-resolution wind resource mapping
• ✓Wake modeling in complex flow
• ✓Integration with measurement validation

Best For:

Projects in complex terrain where linear models (WAsP) may underestimate uncertainty or mispredict wind resources

Pricing:

Licensed software, pricing on request

Integrations:

CFD software for wind resource assessment

Meteodyn WT provides CFD-based wind resource assessment with a focus on speed and usability. It models wind flow over complex terrain including forest canopies and thermal effects. The software offers a balance between the accuracy of CFD and the practical needs of commercial project development.

Key Features:

• ✓Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes CFD solver
• ✓Forest and roughness modeling
• ✓Atmospheric stability effects
• ✓Mesoscale-microscale coupling
• ✓Energy yield and uncertainty analysis
• ✓Cloud computing options for speed

Best For:

Wind developers needing CFD accuracy for complex sites with reasonable turnaround times

Pricing:

Licensed software, pricing on request

Integrations:

NREL's open-source wake modeling framework

FLORIS (FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State) is an open-source Python-based framework developed by NREL for wind farm wake modeling and control optimization. It enables research into wake steering and other control strategies that can increase wind farm energy production by 1-5%.

Key Features:

• ✓Multiple wake models (Gaussian, Jensen, etc.)
• ✓Wake steering and yaw optimization
• ✓Layout optimization algorithms
• ✓Uncertainty quantification
• ✓Python API for custom analysis
• ✓Active research community

Best For:

Researchers and advanced developers exploring wind farm control strategies and wake optimization

Pricing:

Free and open source (Apache 2.0 License)

Integrations:

Multi-physics wind turbine simulation

OpenFAST is NREL's open-source multi-physics engineering tool for simulating the coupled dynamic response of wind turbines. It models aerodynamics, structural dynamics, controls, and electrical systems. Used for turbine design, certification, and research into advanced turbine technologies.

Key Features:

• ✓Aeroelastic simulation of wind turbines
• ✓Full system dynamics modeling
• ✓Controller development and testing
• ✓Fatigue and extreme load analysis
• ✓Offshore platform hydrodynamics
• ✓IEC standard load case support

Best For:

Turbine manufacturers, researchers, and certification bodies performing detailed turbine dynamic analysis

Pricing:

Free and open source (Apache 2.0 License)

Integrations:

Global wind data and site assessment platform

Vortex provides high-resolution wind resource data and analysis services worldwide. Using advanced mesoscale modeling and machine learning, Vortex delivers wind maps, time series data, and site assessment reports for any location. Essential for prospecting and early-stage project development.

Key Features:

• ✓Global wind resource maps and data
• ✓High-resolution mesoscale modeling
• ✓Virtual met mast time series
• ✓Extreme wind and climate analysis
• ✓Site suitability screening
• ✓Long-term reference data for MCP

Best For:

Developers prospecting new sites or needing reference data for resource assessment validation

Pricing:

Data products from €100, enterprise subscriptions available

Integrations: