LLLJP Great Plains wind resource

United States Great Plains map

Percent of the land area estimated to have Class 3 or higher wind power in the contiguous United States (map provided by NREL). Class 3 = 300-400 Wm-2/year.

The Great Plains has been identified as an important wind energy resource region. The major contribution to the wind resource during the warm season is the nocturnal low-level jet (LLJ). Understanding of mean and turbulence characteristics of the LLJ has been hampered by a lack of observations at sufficiently high spatial and temporal resolution at the turbine height and above the range of the meteorological tower measurements.

The Lamar Low-Level Jet Program (LLLPJ) site was located about 20 miles south of the town Lamar in the southeastern part of the Colorado. The site was situated on a plateau south of the Arkansas River Basin. Locally, the terrain is relatively flat and homogenous, but with more complex elements to the west and north.

Lamar field site photo