Abstract
The main objective of this work was to evaluate the nearshore wind resources in the Black Sea area by using a high resolution wind database (ERA-Interim). A subsequent objective was to estimate what type of wind turbines and wind farm configurations would be more suitable for this coastal environment. A more comprehensive picture of these resources was provided by including some satellite measurements, which were also used to assess the wind conditions in the vicinity of some already operating European wind projects. Based on the results of the present work, it seems that the Crimea Peninsula has the best wind resources. However, considering the current geopolitical situation, it seems that the sites on the western part of this basin (Romania and Bulgaria) would represent more viable locations for developing offshore wind projects. Since there are currently no operational wind projects in this marine area, some possible configurations for the future wind farms are proposed.
Highlights
The energy market and carbon emissions seem to have a strong connection, and since the energy demand is expected to increase in the near future, the negative impacts on the environments will be more noticeable [1,2]
The nearshore wind energy resources from the Black Sea region were assessed by considering some environmental parameters and the power curves of some state-of-the-art wind turbines, which operate or are currently implemented in European offshore wind projects
Based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset and AVISO satellite measurements, it was possible to highlight the dominant energy patterns from this area, revealing some hot-spots, which can be used for developing future wind projects
Summary
The energy market and carbon emissions seem to have a strong connection, and since the energy demand is expected to increase in the near future, the negative impacts on the environments will be more noticeable [1,2]. Coastal areas seem to present much higher wind resources than onshore, while the wind turbulences reported in these regions seem to have a lower impact on turbine performance. The diurnal/nocturnal variations of the air masses in the nearshore areas may increase the performance of a wind generator [9]. By looking at the global offshore wind market (at the end of 2017), we can notice that European countries dominate this sector, as in the case of UK (6.8 GW), Germany (5.3 GW), Denmark (1.2 GW), Netherlands (1.1 GW) or Belgium (0.8 GW). In 2017, Europe upgraded its offshore parks with almost 560 new turbines, including the first floating project and, on average, the water depth for these projects was around 28 m with a distance to the coastline of
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