An Evaluation of the Wind Energy in the North-West of the Black Sea

Abstract

The objective of the present work is to evaluate the opportunity of the wind farms implementation in the north-western side of the Black Sea. An assessment of the wind energy potential was first carried out by analyzing eleven years of data. Both in situ measurements and model data coming from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts were considered at this level. Using a classical logarithmic transformation law, the wind speeds were translated to the height of 80 m where usually the wind turbines operate. The analysis of the in situ measurements indicates the Romanian coastal environment as being more energetic during the winter season, with an average wind speed at 80 m of about 9.7 m/s and a power density of 870W/m². On the other hand, the analysis of the model dataset indicates that the Ukrainian nearshore is slightly more energetic during the winter season with an average wind speed of 7.5 m/s and a power density of 310W/m². As a further step, the seasonal and spatial distributions of the wind energy were evaluated in terms of the power estimated to be delivered by the Siemens 2.3 wind turbine. Finally, the regional wind energy resources are compared with similar ones from locations in which offshore wind farms are known to operate or are expected to be developed in the near future. The main conclusion coming from the present work would be that the north-western side of the Black Sea represents a promising area for the wind energy extraction.

Keywords:

• Renewable energy
• Wind
• Power density
• Black Sea
• Nearshore

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work of the first author has been made in the scope of the project SOP HRD-EFICIENT 61445/2009 (Management System for the Fellowships Granted to the PhD Students). The wind data corresponding to the Ukrainian coastal environment were provided by the Ukrainian Research Hydro-Meteorological Institute.