One of the primary goals of wind resource assessment is to obtaining long-term wind resource potential at the hub height of wind turbines. The measure-correlate-predict(MCP)method is an important mathematical method for estimating the long-term wind speed and direction where the long-term measuring data is not available. Firstly

the basic principle

assumptions and procedure of MCP method are introduced. The data required in the MCP process are summarized in detail. Then

the influences of the data grouping

parameter selection

wind shear

and time resolution on the prediction process are analyzed. Moreover

the basic logic and common transformations of several typical MCP methods are classified and described. The advantages and disadvantages and the applicability of different MCP methods are analyzed and evaluated. The weight distribution way in the multiple reference station combination forecast is discussed. Finally

future developments and further investigations of MCP methods are discussed. This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. 51174290

No. 51477174)and Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education(SRFDP)of China(No. 20110008110042).