PNNL

Abstract

This article introduces the 2023 National Offshore Wind data set (NOW-23), which offers the latest wind resource information for offshore regions in the United States. NOW-23 supersedes, for its offshore component, the Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit, which was published a decade ago and is currently a primary resource for wind resource assessments and grid integration studies in the contiguous United States. By incorporating advancements in numerical weather prediction modeling, NOW-23 delivers an updated and cutting-edge product to stakeholders. In this article, we present the new data set, which underwent regional tuning and performance validation against available observations. We also provide a summary of the uncertainty quantification in NOW-23, along with NOW-WAKES, a 1-year post-construction data set that quantifies expected offshore wake effects in the U.S. mid-Atlantic lease areas. Finally, we offer instructions on how to access the data set.