The characteristics of weather-related wind load parameters and wind 2 power quality over the Dabanchen strong gale area

Abstract Analysis of data from cup and ultrasonic anemometers on a 100 m-tall wind mast in the Dabanchen Canyon reveals that the turbulence intensities, gust factors, and peak factors measured by cup anemometers tend to be severely undervalued compared to longitudinal values from an ultrasonic anemometer, and onsite three-dimensional measurement data are preferred for weather-related wind load calculation. This difference is related to the rotating responses of cup anemometers during wind speed acceleration or deceleration and the higher vertical fluctuation speeds driven by dynamic interactions with the sloped canyon terrain. The higher lateral turbulence is key consideration for determining wind turbine classes in Danbanchen strong wind area. The longitudinal gust and peak factors under wind speeds exceeding 25.0 m s−1 are comparable with those of typhoon-prone open, flat regions. The chances of high turbulence and unstable stratification convective processes are very high; thus, wind power collection efficiencies are not high. Except the longitudinal turbulence integral scale, China’s wind-resistance codes are not applicable due to occasional undesirable strong gales with extraordinary turbulence structures. The measured vertical power spectral density of fluctuating wind in the high-frequency domain cannot reflect the rapidly adapting features of the vast terrain under strong gales.