ABSTRACT
An analysis of the modelled 10 m wind provided by the World Climate Research Programme’s (WCPR) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3 (CMIP3) was made by McInnes et al. (2011) They used data from 19 models forced with the A1B emission scenario (see IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios) SRES) and observed futures changes to mean wind speed, direction and 99th percentile wind speeds in the multi-model ensemble. Regarding Europe, consistent wind speed increases, among at least 90% of the models are seen in the northern area. Studies of Pryor & Barthelmie (2010), show that both the geographical distribution and the intraannual variability of the wind may suffer some changes in the future. Depending on the location and the considered scenario, a decrease up to 40% in wind power resources may be expected, with some places showing a higher decrease than others. This will have implications in the decision about offshore wind power facilities future locations.
