Quality of wind characteristics in recent wind atlases over the North Sea

Offshore wind energy production is rapidly growing as an essential element in the sustainable energy share. Wind energy siting studies require accurate wind data, and in particular the knowledge of extreme wind events (low-level jets, wind ramps, extreme shear and high wind speeds) is crucial for resource and load assessment. This study evaluates the skill of three relatively new wind atlases, i.e. ERA-5, DOWA and NEWA on the representation of extreme wind events using observations taken at the Met Mast IJmuiden over the North Sea. Overall, DOWA appears to best represent the wind speed profile with virtually no bias. ERA-5 underestimates the mean wind speed profile though the wind shear is well represented, while NEWA correctly represents the near surface wind but underestimates the wind shear. The frequency of low-level jets are also best represented by DOWA. Wind speed ramps and direction ramps are best represented by ERA-5, while DOWA appears to outperform the others concerning wind shear.