WindRose

1. Why do I get the message "Failed to install the code" when I try to install my registration code?

This is solved in WindRose versions 4.40 and later.

If your OS is Windows Vista or Windows 7,8,10, then before entering the code, turn off the "User Account Control" and turn it back on afterwards.

This can be done in the Control Panel, User Accounts (Windows 7,8,10) or Control Panel, Security Center (Windows Vista).

1. Why do I get a security warning when I open WindRose.xls(m) ?

This is solved in WindRose versions 4.40 and later.

When opening WindRose.xls(m)file, Excel displays a security warning, asking whether or not to enable WindRose's macros. The software will run in both cases, but functionality is reduced with macros disabled.

If you want to avoid permanently Excel's security warnings (when opening the WindRose.xls file), check the following links depending on the Excel version you use: 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013.

2. Is there a WindRose version for Office 64bit?

This is solved in WindRose versions 4.40 and later.

WindRose runs OK in both 32bit & 64bit versions of Windows. However, it fails to install in the 64bit versions of MS-Office (because of this Microsoft bug) and a workaround is currently investigated. Note that, Microsoft recommended the 32bit Office version (here for the Office 2016 version) and this 32bit version was installed by default, on 64-bit Windows operating systems.

3. How can I process data files coming from a data-logger with wrong coefficients?

WindRose accepts a linear correction (y=a·x+b) for all channels (Table 3, Input Sheet). If no values are given there, it is assumed that a=1.0 and b=0.

Now, assume that (a₀, b₀) are the wrong coefficients with whom the data files were created, instead of the correct ones (a₁, b₁). Then, the following correction coefficients (a₂, b₂) should be entered in the Table 3 of the Input sheet, in order to produce correct results:

a₂ = a₁ / a₀   and   b₂ = b₁ - b₀ · (a₁ / a₀)  

In case you have multiple anemometers but not all of them have wrong coefficients, then when setting the correction coefficients, remember to set a=1.0 and b=0.0 for the rest ones. Example: if you have 3 anemometers and the correct coefficients for the 2nd one are: (1.003, -0.38) then you should write: 1.0;1.003;1.0 (multiplier) and 0.0;-0.38;0.0 (offset).

4. When setting correction coefficients and the 1st value is negative, then Excel does not accept the cell value.

Assume you have 2 vanes and their "north" should be corrected by -15° and 8°. When setting the correction offset you should put either an apostrophe (') in front of the; '-15;8 (denoting to Excel that this is a text cell) or format the cell as a text, before writing -15;8.

5. Can I convert my 1sec (or 1min) wind data to 10min average data?

There is an undocumented feature that solve this. If your data have a time step <10min (1sec, 30sec, 1min,...), then WindRose produces automatically a 10minAve.txt file at the end of a run. However, note the following:

1. It is suggested to process data chunks (1-2 months) as WindRose allocates huge memory buffers, and you risk to obtain either an "Out of memory" message or an Excel crash.

2. For 1sec data most probably you will not have a Usdv column but the created 10minAve.txt file will contain the correct 10min based Usdv values.

6. What is the advanced option: "Enable de-trending for turbulence intensities"?

When calculating turbulence intensities, it is assumed that the average wind speed does not vary in time. However, sometimes (e.g.: rapid weather changes) there are periods of some hours that the average wind speed systematically increases or decreases and during these periods significantly higher turbulence intensities are calculated. Increased TIs might affect the wind turbine class for the specific site. De-trending is a process where this trend is subtracted using a simple empirical model, based on the work of K. Hansen etal and Damanscke etal.

A nice graphical example of such a case which needs to be detrended is given in K. Hansen etal  

Here, when analyzing period P3, the (linear) trend is first subtracted, in order to deduce meaningful turbulence intensity. When raw data (1sec) are not available, then the authors propose a simple empirical model based on the 10min averaged data (the common wind data case).

7. Can I install WindRose for a user without admin rights?

This is solved in WindRose versions 4.40 and later.

Yes, but using the following procedure:
First, add the non-admin user to the "Administrators" group, log-on with that user and install WindRose. Then, remove that user from the "Administrators" group.
The next release, will be installed entirely in the "standard" user space.

8. Why sometimes the drop-down buttons are resizing or shrinking (WindCorr sheet)?

This is solved in WindRose versions 4.37 and later.

This has been reported as an Excel 2010/2013 bug, after a 2014 automatic update. A workaround consists in setting the properties of the drop-down box as "Don't move or size with cells". 

The current version fixes this issue by resetting and recreating all drop-down buttons. 

 9. WindRose menu is unresponsive when opening multiple files in Excel 2013/2016.

This is solved in WindRose versions 4.40 and later.

In Microsoft Excel 2013 and later versions, when you open multiple spreadsheets, they all open in the same instance of Excel. This sometimes prevents the WindRose COM Add-In to execute, although it is present and enabled in the Excel's menu.

When this occurs do the following: