Brodie, Joseph2017-02-152017-02-152016http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/20678Offshore wind in the United States continues to be a focused area of research as our society grapples with the Earth's changing climate and our ongoing and increasing demand for electricity. While the first offshore wind project in the U.S. is expected to be operational soon, much still remains to be done to help improve viability of offshore wind in additional locations. This dissertation discusses three studies conducted to improve the understanding of and expectations from developing wind energy in the Delaware Wind Energy Area off the Delaware coast. The first study examines the capabilities of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to account for variations in wind farm array geometries in an idealized set-up of the model, and determines features of those array geometries that can positively influence the energy production of an offshore farm. The second study investigates the impacts that the misprediction of wind ramp events would have on the interaction of an offshore wind farm with the electricity grid, quantifying some of these impacts and discussing factors which contribute to grid instability. The third study combines the knowledge gained in the first two studies to evaluate potential wind farm array geometries in a regional study of the Delaware Wind Energy Area using WRF along with a selection of case study dates selected to examine the impacts of the synoptic variability of the region throughout the year. These studies demonstrate that careful consideration of the meteorology and climatology of a region when determining the layout of an offshore wind array can improve the power production of the farm, thereby improving wind farm viability. It is shown that using a mesoscale model that incorporates a wind farm parameterization can improve resource assessment by allowing the assessment to evaluate the wind farm's interactions with the weather and climate in the Delaware Wind Energy Area. Furthermore, it is shown that while certain synoptic conditions can improve the power production of a wind facility, synoptic conditions can also lead to increased unpredictability of the wind which can result in grid stability concerns. Improvements in wind forecasting during the early morning and evening hours would help to reduce these concerns. It is only through the thorough understanding of the various scales of atmospheric dynamics at work that offshore wind farms can prove to be a successful solution for our future energy needs while reducing the impacts of climate change and our usage of fossil fuels.Thesis972528256