Abstract
A complete wind resource assessment (WRA) in the urban area of SUNY-ESF was conducted using initial assessment, wind map examination, statistical analysis of measured wind data, and CFD modeling, for the potential installation of small wind turbines. Results consisting of mean wind velocity, annual energy prediction, turbulence, and net present value were used first to determine suitable locations for small wind turbines, and second to determine viability of each method of WRA. This study found that the CFD analysis provides a reasonably accurate and detailed analysis of wind resource in an urban area. The detailed level of analysis can ultimately lead to optimal economic decisions regarding installation, more so than the other explored methods. Also examined, were wind data sets from different locations for use as input data into the CFD model, ultimately finding that CFD output results can be significantly distorted with unsuitable data sets.