I am advised by the SEAI that in August 2011 the SEAI advertised a Request for Tenders on the Government eTenders website for Provision of Services to Update the Wind Atlas for Ireland. Arising from this process, UK Met Office Consulting Services were selected to carry out the work and issued with a contract in May 2012.
To support the execution of the contract, the SEAI requested Bord na Mona and ESB to provide useful meteorological mast monitoring data from their wind farm sites to UK Met Office Consulting Services. This data was used by the contractor in the validation of the remodelled wind atlas datasets.
The SEAI is currently in the process of updating its online Geographical Information System to make the new wind atlas available to the public. This is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
In the interim, the SEAI has made the new wind atlas datasets available on request to professional Geographical Information Systems users and other organisations. The datasets are available to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) should ABP wish to use them.
The wind atlas was primarily intended as an information tool for local authorities in identifying areas suitable for renewable energy development within County Development Plans. Local authorities have subsequently utilised the SEAI wind atlas as a basis for developing county wind energy strategies.
