Applying triple collocation for verifying wind resource measurements and reanalysis data

Abstract Dual comparisons or dual collocation, respectively, is a standard approach in wind data analysis, and particularly in the wind energy resource assessment context, for comparing and relating two time series from different sources describing the same quantity as e.g. the wind speed at a specific height over a certain period of time. This comparison can be used to validate a data source, or to derive a correction for one of the two datasets. Though being widely used, dual collocation comes with inherent flaws which are partly unknown or ignored. A major problem is that dual collocation requires the definition of a reference in advance. Triple collocation may instead allow for a more objective and comprehensive evaluation, where (three) suitable data sources are available, and possibly help to identify which datasets are most suited to represent the relevant wind resource. In this study, we apply the triple collocation methodology to two typical wind resource assessment test cases. Results are promising in providing more information on the analysed datasets and improving the use of different types of data for wind resource assessment in the future.