NREL AWS Truepower representative wind file

Hi

I am trying to understand how the NREL AWS Truepower representative wind file is built. Can already be considered an average of wind dataset in that specific area? If so, any clue of how big was the original sample?

Dear Luigi,

The representative typical wind resource files that come with SAM's wind model are for 26 land-based locations and 11 offshore locations in the United States. The data set was developed in 2012. The locations were chosen because they were in the vicinity of areas with existing or proposed wind farms.

The typical months were chosen from data for the 14 years between 1997 and 2010 using a method developed by AWST. The hourly wind speed data was then scaled so that the mean for the year matched the estimated mean from AWST wind resource maps.

Best regards,
Paul.