Project description

The effects of climate change are imminent: impacts do not only affect the mean temperature, but also precipitation, sunshine duration, and many other variables of the Earth’s climate system causing changes in other parameters such as wind (field) or pressure systems. With drive towards a more sustainable energy system in Europe, wind generation is gaining more im- portance.

The aim of the Wind4Future project is to answer the following research questions and to provide a scientific basis for the implementation of the Austrian strategy for adaptation to climate change, the NEKP and the Paris Agreement in Austria:

  • Can classical Global/General Climate Model (GCM) and Regional Climate Model (RCM) downscaling and bias correction method results be improved by using novel super-resolution machine learning techniques? Do we get more sound results?
  • Which spatial and temporal resolutions of the downscaled climate model data are required to obtain a qualitatively and quantitatively sound assessment of climate change-induced changes in wind energy production in regions with complex topography?
  • How will the predicted changes in behaviour of wind affect wind power potential in Austria?
  • Will there be potential new wind generation sites due to the change in wind conditions?
  • What effects are expected in the view of the efforts to establish a climate-neutral, resilient electricity system in Austria, and will these impacts affect the achievement of the objectives of the 2030 mission?
  • Can wind power contribute to increasing the resilience of the energy system, and which adjustments would be necessary to achieve this? To what extent will climate change affect wind stability and grid stability?

The core objective of the Wind4Future project is to identify the impacts of climate change on the generation behaviour and the potential of wind generation sites in Austria. To achieve this goal and answer the research questions, the Wind4Future project will apply a multi-step methodology based on climate model simulations (GCM/RCM) with emphasis on machine learning, simulation and scenario analysis. A wind power model will be used to estimate the impact on the electricity generation.

The main outputs will be:

  • Gridded historical and prospective climatological wind speed fields
  • Wind generation profiles for multiple years
  • Specific recommendations tailored to the needs of policymakers in Austria

At the end of the project, a wind energy potential map and a white paper compiling all relevant results will be available.

Project partner

  • GeoSphere Austria (former Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik – ZAMG)
  • Energie Burgenland Green Energy GmbH
  • Energie Steiermark Green Power GmbH
  • WEB Windenergie