Wind resource assessment and potential development of wind farms along the entire coast of South Korea using public data from the Korea meteorological administration

Abstract

The feasibility of a wind farm locations should be evaluated on a thorough analysis and assessment of the available wind resources which necessitates wind data measurement for a minimum period of one year. Nevertheless, several limitations arise during this process, including challenges related to the site selection, cost considerations such as the installation of meteorological masts subsequent to marine physical and geotechnical surveys, and the requirement for ongoing maintenance. Therefore, several studies have been carried out to determine wind energy potential using reanalysis data. However, in areas with distinct terrain characteristics, such as maritime and coastal areas, uncertainties exist in the use of reanalysis data. Therefore, an analysis of wind resources based on measurement data is necessary in such areas. In this study, wind data measured by the Korea Meteorological Administration's automatic weather system and light house automatic weather system for 56 points along the Korean coast is obtained and analyzed. Additionally, the expected annual energy production and capacity factor were predicted when offshore wind turbines are installed using the power curve of a reference model of large offshore wind turbines in the 15–20 MW class. As a results, five points at which a capacity factor of over 35% is predicted as promising sites for future wind farm development. These public data from the Korea Meteorological Administration are also limited in their ability to provide accurate wind resource analysis for wind power generation due to the wind speed measurement instrument's height being lower than that of the wind turbine hub and environmental influences. However, these results can be useful in identifying possible candidate sites for wind farms in South Korea.