Analysis of Spatial Aggregation Methods for Representing Regional Wind Power

Energy planning models require input profiles that accurately represent the regional renewable generation. Spatial aggregation methods create single representative profiles for a region from high-resolution data. These methods produce varying regional wind profiles due to the geographic variability of the resource, directly impacting planning outcomes. This study aims to highlight the differences between spatial aggregation methods to illustrate the impact of the chosen method on the input profile used for energy planning. Five spatial aggregation methods are compared based on the statistical and temporal characteristics of the resulting profiles. The results suggest that profiles based on a single location may overstate the temporal variability. A weighted approach based on realistic wind capacity distribution across the region shows temporal and statistical characteristics similar to the estimated existing generation profile. The proposed approach realistically represents regional wind resource availability and quantifies the impact of its spatial distribution as a key input to energy planning models.