Comparison of GPM IMERG V07B versus IMERG V06B Precipitation in Northern Spain and their application for wind turbine blade lifetime estimation

The Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) product provides high-resolution, near-global satellite precipitation estimates, critical for assessing rainfall characteristics in regions with complex terrain or limited ground observations. Accurate representation of precipitation is essential for evaluating rainfall-driven impacts on wind turbine blades. This study evaluates the performance of IMERG V06B and V07B products over Northern Spain using observations from 28 rain gauge stations spanning elevations from 125 to 1353 m, with a focus on rainfall magnitude, phase (solid/liquid), and intensity. IMERG V07B shows modest improvements over V06B in capturing daily ( R = 0.56 ) and monthly ( R = 0.83 ) precipitation and better represents frozen and mixed-phase precipitation at high-elevation stations (60–199 mm for V07B versus 37–205 mm for V06B) compared to in situ totals (127–496 mm). At sub-daily scales, V07B slightly overestimates rainfall (median PBIAS at 30 min: 29.6% versus 15.8% for V06B) but more accurately resolves rainfall intensity, particularly for light events (55%–70%), while moderate events are slightly overestimated. Relative to in situ observations, both IMERG versions depict a wetter climate, with only minor differences between V07B and V06B in intensity and phase representation. A joint wind–rain analysis identifies the most erosive conditions under wind speeds of 4–10 m s −1 and rainfall amounts of 0–1 mm/30 min. Blade lifetime estimates derived from satellite precipitation range from 2.9–21 years for V07B and 4.4–23 years for V06B, with in situ estimates ranging from 3.6–24 years. The shortest lifetimes occur at high-wind exposed coastal and mountainous sites, while the longest are found at sheltered mid-elevation stations. Overall, IMERG V07B provides a realistic, high-resolution representation of rainfall suitable for assessing rainfall-driven blade erosion and enabling large-scale erosion risk mapping in complex terrain.