Due to their lower hub height, small wind turbines are more susceptible to near-ground flow conditions. This also makes it much more difficult to accurately predict the yield of small wind turbines than for large wind turbines, where the effects of disturbances are less pronounced. For small wind turbines in particular, the design costs (including site suitability and yield prediction) have to be much lower than for large wind turbines in order to be economically viable. By incorporating satellite data into the modeling of ground roughness and thus the near-surface flow conditions, a more accurate and at the same time more cost-effective yield prediction for small wind turbines is possible.