Whiffle Wind
A user-friendly solution for wind resource and energy yield assessments, powered by Large Eddy Simulation.
Accurate Data. Seamless workflow integration. Better decision making.
Whiffle Wind is an online application for modeling the wind resource and expected energy yield for onshore or offshore projects, anywhere in the world. Behind every calculation is an atmospheric Large Eddy Simulation with Whiffle’s in-house model. The output is designed to integrate seamlessly into your existing workflows—from Wind Resource Grids (WRGs) to 10-minute-averaged time series. With Whiffle Wind, you get accurate, site-specific data to reduce overall uncertainty and optimize for maximum energy yield. Whiffle Wind enables you to make the best, weather-informed decisions throughout the development phase of your project.
Precise wind data for every stage
of your analysis
Statistics
Site-specific wind and power statistics, calculated from a high-resolution atmospheric LES simulation, delivering accurate, long-term-representativedata suited for industry-standard workflows. (The provided WRG files are ready for immediate use in tools like WindPRO or OpenWind.)
Time series
Time series data for all specified turbine and met mast locations and heights. Outputs include wind speed, direction, shear, turbulence, and other variables describing the atmospheric condition, like humidity, temperature and Richardson number.
Whiffle Wind Statistics
LES-based, long-term representative statistical data
- Customizable WRG Files: Evaluate wind speed, direction, shear, and turbulence at multiple heights.
- High-Resolution Outputs: Long-term wind distribution and resource magnitude at 100m spatial resolution.
- Terrain Adaptability: Accurately model forests, hills, valleys, and coastal regions.
- Seamless Integration: One-to-one compatibility with existing datasets for effortless workflow integration.
Whiffle Wind Time Series
LES time series data for optimised wind and energy yield modelling
- 10-minute interval data at turbine and met mast locations, capturing critical data such as wind speed, direction, shear, and turbulence.
- Optional gridded time series for up to three horizontal planes of the entire LES domain offer unmatched depth for modeling wind conditions across your project site.
A must-have tool for
wind resource analysts
LES-based Accuracy
Our LES model achieves a typical bias lower than 36% compared to meso-scale models*, due to its high-resolution modelling capabilities.
(*Comparing error statistics of 125 sites with NEWA data.)
Seamless integration
Data provided is directly compatible with WindPRO, OpenWind, and other wind resource assessments tools for hassle-free workflows.
Full-physics simulations
Model wind climate under real atmospheric conditions – no assumptions, just physics.
Scalable and cost effective
GPU acceleration delivers fast, scalable simulations, ensuring cost efficiency andadaptability for projects of any size.
How does it work?
Setting up and running LES simulations for your wind farm or site is easy – all it takes is a few simple clicks. Depending on project size, results are delivered within 1 to 5 days.
Step 1: Provide
Input your project details, turbines and met masts, and draw the LES area (same as WRG area) in our user interface.
Step 2: Submit
Review the output settings, the simulation setup and price, then submit for processing.
Step 3: Retrieve
Explore the results dashboard with wind, power and turbulence statistics.
Whiffle Wind is powered by
the Whiffle LES model
Whiffle Wind leverages Whiffle’s physics-based, LES technology to accurately simulate real-weather conditions and capture fine-scale atmospheric dynamics. This ensures reliable data, even in the most complex onshore environments.
Stay updated
Want to be the first to find out about the latest Whiffle Wind features and updates? Subscribe to our (monthly) newsletter, The Eddy Effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LES?
Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model for resolving turbulence and is gaining increased attention in the wind energy sector. The benefits of LES to model the wake and global blockage effects of wind farms lie in the fact it can model the interaction between wind farms and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). A recent overview on various aspects of the atmospheric flow through wind farms is presented in Stevens and Meneveau’s 2017 paper: Flow Structure and Turbulence in Wind Farms, volume 49.
Are wakes and blockage included?
Yes. LES physically models the phenomena of wind, pressure and atmospheric stability and their interaction with wind turbine-induced wake and blockage effects. Therefore, we don’t have to rely on non-physical/empirical correction factors for example blockage effects and deep-array effects
Are external wind farm effects included?
By default, external wind farms are not included in the simulation. However, external wind farms can be added to the simulation; then their effects on the target wind farm will be modelled and included. If you wish to have additional analysis of external effects, you may want to consider making use of Whiffle’s Consulting service. For more information, feel free to send an email to info@whiffle.nl.
In Whiffle Wind, can I run multiple simulations in parallel?
Yes, Whiffle Wind allows you to run multiple configurations and scenarios efficiently, providing fast results for different project designs or turbine layouts.
Does Whiffle Wind account for forest canopy effects?
Yes, Whiffle’s LES model accurately captures forest canopy impacts, including height and density, making it ideal for onshore projects in forested areas.
What is the uncertainty of Whiffle Wind’s AEP prediction?
Using SCADA data of wind farms, it is possible to make ex-post assessments of Annual Energy Production (AEP) predictions. Based on a small (N ≤ 10) sample of wind farms that Whiffle has modelled, we estimate the mean error of AEP predictions are around 2% (Whiffle’s model tends to underpredict AEP) with a standard deviation of 4%. These numbers are based on raw output from Whiffle Wind without any long-term correction or correction of mean wind speed biases. Therefore, this number represents not only errors in aerodynamic losses, but also errors in the mean wind speed.
What is the largest domain that can be simulated?
Currently a 128 km x 128 km domain is the largest. However, we’re working hard to make this even larger! If you need a larger domain, certainly feel free to contact Whiffle’s Consulting service via info@whiffle.nl.
What is the resolution and why?
The default resolution of our LES is 100 m x 100 m in the horizontal plane, 25 m vertically close to the ground. Our LES has been extensively validated on a wide range of sites (onshore, offshore, complex terrain) and wind farms for this resolution and provides the best trade-off between cost and accuracy.
If you require other resolutions, please consider Whiffle’s Consultancy service which can be contacted via info@whiffle.nl.
How long will it take for the simulation to run?
This depends on the domain size and length of the simulation, as well as how many other simulations have been requested and are in the queue. As a rough guideline, generally a one-day simulation should be available the next day or sooner, and generally a full year simulation should be available the next week or sooner.
How do I get started with Whiffle Wind?
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