Wind Facilities Research Articles

An ecological vulnerability index to assess impacts of offshore wind facilities on migratory songbirds

Abstract As offshore wind (OSW) energy expands globally, migratory songbirds are at risk of mortality from collisions with turbine blades, though the magnitude of this threat and which species are most vulnerable, remains poorly understood. Ecological vulnerability indices are commonly used to assess species' susceptibility to harmful factors, with results used to direct scarce research and monitoring resources to species showing relatively high vulnerability. These indices are based on the traits that elevate a species risk to adverse impacts (sensitivity), the overlap in occurrence between a species and the potentially harmful agent (exposure) and the influence of this exposure on the species' local or global persistence (resilience). We modified ecological vulnerability indices for seabirds to assess vulnerability of migratory songbirds to OSW related mortality. As a pertinent case study, we considered songbirds that fly across the Northwest Atlantic during their autumn migration. We utilized readily available information on each species' migratory behaviour, life history, and conservation status to calculate an index score that could range from 1 (lowest vulnerability) to 125 (highest vulnerability). We found scores of 3 to 55.2 for the 101 songbird species evaluated, with New World warblers (Parulidae) over‐represented among the highest scoring species. We found the scores to be sensitive to uncertainty in index components, highlighting the importance of considering scoring uncertainty when evaluating ecological vulnerability indices. Finally, we found that for seven of the top 10 highest scoring species, modest improvements in population trends had the potential to lower the scores substantially. Synthesis and applications. Our methodology is readily applicable to other regions where offshore wind (OSW) development is planned and songbird migration is common, allowing research and monitoring activities to be targeted to species most likely to be negatively affected by OSW facility encounters.

Performance characterization of a wireless sensors network system (WSNS) for measurements of hurricane wind effects on structures

This paper presents a new wireless sensors network system (WSNS) designed for high-resolution absolute pressure measurements, wind speed, and direction. The system is tailored to assess the impact of hurricane winds on residential structures, both in laboratory settings and field environments. Importantly WSNS stands out for its unique ability to provide waterproof, surface-mounted external pressure measurements. The system's performance is evaluated during deployment on a full-scale house model at the Wall of Wind facility. The WSNS sensors were installed on different surfaces of a single-story residential building model. The sensor locations mirrored the locations of surface pressure taps connected to a Scanivalve differential pressure measurement system. Due to the size and shape of the WSNS pressure module, a casing effect was observed, which may result in pressure offsets under certain wind speeds and directions, depending on the sensor's location and the conditions, including dry and light rain (50 mm per hour). The comparison between WSNS and Scanivalve indicates that the sensor's casing geometry does not cause significant differences in the time-averaged measurements for low-turbulence regions. Conversely, this is not true for high-turbulence regions, which should be marked for future deployments using smaller surface-mounted pressure taps.

Efficacy of non‐lead ammunition distribution programs to offset fatalities of golden eagles in southeast Wyoming

AbstractGolden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) face many anthropogenic risks including illegal shooting, electrocution, collision with wind turbines and vehicles, and lead poisoning. Minimizing or offsetting eagle deaths resulting from human‐caused sources is often viewed as an important management objective. Despite understanding the leading anthropogenic sources of eagle fatalities, existing scientific research supports few practical solutions to mitigate these causes of death. We implemented a non‐lead ammunition distribution program in southeast Wyoming, USA, and evaluated its effectiveness as a compensatory mitigation action to offset incidental take (i.e., fatalities) of golden eagles at wind energy facilities. In 2020 and 2022, we distributed non‐lead ammunition to 699 hunters with big‐game tags specific to our >400,000‐ha study area. These hunters harvested 296 pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), 14 deer (Odocoileus spp.), and 33 elk (Cervus canadensis) in the study area, which accounted for 6.9% and 6.5% of the harvest in these hunt units in 2020 and 2022, respectively. We used road surveys in 2020 to estimate a density of 0.036 (95% CI = 0.018–0.058) golden eagles/km2 during the big game hunting season in our study area. Model output suggests that our non‐lead ammunition distribution program offset the fatality of 3.84 (95% CI = 1.06–23.72) eagles over the course of these 2 hunting seasons. Our work illustrates the potential usefulness of non‐lead ammunition distribution programs as an action to mitigate eagle fatalities caused by wind facilities or other anthropogenic causes of death.

Technology Gaps for Monitoring Birds and Marine Mammals at Offshore Wind Facilities

Abstract With increased focus on offshore wind (OSW) as a renewable energy resource in the United States and elsewhere, there are concerns about OSW impacts to wildlife, particularly birds and marine mammals. This study identifies technology gaps and technological research and development (R&D) priorities for monitoring marine mammals and birds for fixed and floating OSW. A synthesis of current monitoring technologies generated two databases (with over 100 technologies) that can be integrated in current technology repositories for renewable energy projects. Generally, the key technology R&D needs are similar for birds and marine mammals. The main exception is that some types of bird technologies are more likely to require direct integration with OSW infrastructure, whereas marine mammal systems tend to operate independently. Priorities to advance wildlife monitoring include improved early communication, harmonization of technologies and data collection for monitoring systems on OSW structures, battery/power access improvements, remote data transfer improvements, and advancements in automated collection and analysis of data. The successful integration of wildlife monitoring systems into OSW infrastructure and operations is dependent on remote access mechanisms for data collection, system maintenance, and data transfer, in order to minimize risks to worker safety in the offshore environment, as well as minimizing costs and disruption to normal operational activities. Application of the results of this study to prioritize and fund technology R&D will help to support statistically robust data collection and practicable integration of monitoring systems into OSW operations and infrastructure.

Potential for spatial coexistence of a transboundary migratory species and wind energy development

Global expansion in wind energy development is a notable achievement of the international community’s effort to reduce carbon emissions during energy production. However, the increasing number of wind turbines have unintended consequences for migratory birds and bats. Wind turbine curtailment and other mitigation strategies can reduce fatalities, but improved spatial and temporal data are needed to identify the most effective way for wind energy development and volant migratory species to coexist. Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) account for a large proportion of known bat fatalities at wind facilities in the southwestern US. We examined the geographic concordance between existing wind energy generation facilities, areas of high wind potential amenable for future deployment of wind facilities, and seasonally suitable habitat for these bats. We used ecological niche modeling to determine species distribution during each of 4 seasons. We used a multi-criteria GIS-based approach to produce a wind turbine siting suitability map. We identified seasonal locations with highest and lowest potential for the species’ probability of occurrence, providing a potential explanation for the higher observed fatalities during fall migration. Thirty percent of 33,606 wind turbines within the southwestern US occurred in highly suitable areas for Mexican free-tailed bats, primarily in west Texas. There is also broad spatial overlap between areas of high wind potential and areas of suitable habitat for Mexican free-tailed bats. Because of this high degree of overlap, our results indicate that post-construction strategies, such as curtailing the timing of operations and deterrents, would be more effective for bat conservation than strategic siting of new wind energy installations.

Future Obstacles and Possible Solutions for Offshore Wind Facilities

Future Obstacles and Possible Solutions for Offshore Wind Facilities

Autonomous thermal tracking reveals spatiotemporal patterns of seabird activity relevant to interactions with floating offshore wind facilities

Planning is underway for placement of infrastructure needed to begin offshore wind (OSW) energy generation along the West Coast of the United States and elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean. In contrast to the primarily nearshore windfarms currently in the North Atlantic, the seabird communities inhabiting Pacific Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) include significant populations of species that fly by dynamic soaring, a behavior dependent on wind and in which flight height increases steeply with wind speed. Therefore, a more precise and detailed assessment of their 3D airspace use is needed to better understand the potential collision risks that OSW turbines may present to these seabirds. Toward this end, a novel technology called the ThermalTracker-3D (TT3D), which uses thermal imaging and stereo vision, was developed to render high-resolution (on average within ±5 m) flight tracks and related behavior of seabirds. The technology was developed and deployed on a wind-profiling LiDAR buoy in the Humboldt WEA, located 34 to 57 km off California’s coast. During the at-sea deployment between 24 May and 13 August 2021, the TT3D successfully tracked birds moving between 10 and 500 m from the device, around the clock, and in all weather conditions; a total of 1407 detections and their corresponding 3D flight trajectories were recorded. Mean altitudes of detections ranged 6-295 m above sea level (asl). Considering the degree of overlap with anticipated rotor swept zones (RSZ), which extend 25-260 m asl, 79% of detected birds (per m3 of airspace) moved below the RSZ, 21% moved at heights overlapping the RSZ, and another 0.04% occurred at heights exceeding the RSZ. The high-resolution tracks provided valuable insight into seabird space use, especially at heights that make them vulnerable to collision during various environmental conditions (e.g., darkness, strong winds). Observations made by the TT3D will be useful in filling critical knowledge gaps related to estimating collision and avoidance between seabirds and OSW facilities in the Pacific and elsewhere. Future research will focus on enhancing the TT3D’s identification capabilities to the lowest taxon through validation studies and artificial intelligence, further contributing to seabird conservation efforts associated with OSW.

Technical-economic limitations of floating offshore wind energy generation in small isolated island power systems without energy storage: Case study in the Canary Islands

Coastal areas committed to the development of affordable and clean energy sources can find significant means to achieve their decarbonization objectives in offshore wind technology for power generation. However, the development of this technology in island territories with small-scale isolated electrical systems faces technical constraints that, in turn, translate into economic limitations. The objective of this study is to determine offshore wind energy curtailment and its impact on the LCOE in island territories with small-scale isolated electrical systems. To accomplish this, the data of electrical energy demand and generation of onshore renewable energy and conventional energy over a year have been used, with the Canary Islands (Spain-EU) adopted as a case study. The regional government there has established total decarbonization of its economy by 2040 as the central axis of its energy policy. The results show percentages of offshore wind energy curtailment exceeding 35% and an increase in the LCOE of up to 17%. One of the conclusions highlights the need for governmental action to neutralize this increase in the LCOE. This study sheds light on the technical and economic implications for government energy plans promoting the large-scale deployment of floating offshore wind facilities in island territories.

Geographic source of bats killed at wind-energy facilities in the eastern United States.

Bats subject to high rates of fatalities at wind-energy facilities are of high conservation concern due to the long-term, cumulative effects they have, but the impact on broader bat populations can be difficult to assess. One reason is the poor understanding of the geographic source of individual fatalities and whether they constitute migrants or more local individuals. Here, we used stable hydrogen isotopes, trace elements and species distribution models to determine the most likely summer geographic origins of three different bat species (Lasiurus borealis, L. cinereus, and Lasionycteris noctivagans) killed at wind-energy facilities in Ohio and Maryland in the eastern United States. In Ohio, 41.6%, 21.3%, 2.2% of all individuals of L. borealis, L.cinereus, and L. noctivagans, respectively, had evidence of movement. In contrast, in Maryland 77.3%, 37.1%, and 27.3% of these same species were classified as migrants. Our results suggest bats killed at a given wind facility are likely derived from migratory as well as resident populations. Finally, there is variation in the proportion of migrants killed between seasons for some species and evidence of philopatry to summer roosts. Overall, these results indicate that the impact of wind-energy facilities on bat populations occurs across a large geographic extent, with the proportion of migrants impacted likely to vary across species and sites. Similar studies should be conducted across a broader geographic scale to understand the impacts on bat populations from wind-energy facilities.

The geographic extent of bird populations affected by renewable-energy development.

Bird populations are declining globally. Wind and solar energy can reduce emissions of fossil fuels that drive anthropogenic climate change, yet renewable-energy production represents a potential threat to bird species. Surveys to assess potential effects at renewable-energy facilities are exclusively local, and the geographic extent encompassed by birds killed at these facilities is largely unknown, which creates challenges for minimizing and mitigating the population-level and cumulative effects of these fatalities. We performed geospatial analyses of stable hydrogen isotope data obtained from feathers of 871 individuals of 24 bird species found dead at solar- and wind-energy facilities in California (USA). Most species had individuals with a mix of origins, ranging from 23% to 98% nonlocal. Mean minimum distances to areas of likely origin for nonlocal individuals were as close as 97 to >1250km, and these minimum distances were larger for species found at solar-energy facilities in deserts than at wind-energy facilities in grasslands (Cohen's d = 6.5). Fatalities were drawn from an estimated 30-100% of species' desingated ranges, and this percentage was significantly smaller for species with large ranges found at wind facilities (Pearson's r = -0.67). Temporal patterns in the geographic origin of fatalities suggested that migratory movements and nonmigratory movements, such as dispersal and nomadism, influence exposure to fatality risk for these birds. Our results illustrate the power of using stable isotope data to assess the geographic extent of renewable-energy fatalities on birds. As the buildout of renewable-energy facilities continues, accurate assessment of the geographic footprint of wildlife fatalities can be used to inform compensatory mitigation for their population-level and cumulative effects.

Numbers of wildlife fatalities at renewable energy facilities in a targeted development region

Increased interest in renewable energy has fostered development of wind and solar energy facilities globally. However, energy development sometimes has negative environmental impacts, such as wildlife fatalities. Efforts by regional land managers to balance energy potential while minimizing fatality risk currently rely on datasets that are aggregated at continental, but not regional scales, that focus on single species, or that implement meta-analyses that inappropriately use inferential statistics. We compiled and summarized fatality data from 87 reports for solar and wind facilities in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts region of southern California within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area. Our goal was to evaluate potential temporal and guild-specific patterns in fatalities, especially for priority species of conservation concern. We also aimed to provide a perspective on approaches interpreting these types of data, given inherent limitations in how they were collected. Mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), Chukar (Alectoris chukar) and California Quail (Callipepla californica), and passerines (Passeriformes), accounted for the most commonly reported fatalities. However, our aggregated count data were derived from raw, uncorrected totals, and thus reflect an absolute minimum number of fatalities for the monitored period. Additionally, patterns in the raw data suggested that many species commonly documented as fatalities (e.g., waterbirds and other nocturnal migrants, bats) are rarely counted during typical pre-construction use surveys. This may explain the more commonly observed mismatch between pre-construction risk assessment and actual fatalities. Our work may serve to guide design of future scientific research to address temporal and spatial patterns in fatalities and to apply rigorous guild-specific survey methodologies to estimate populations at risk from renewable energy development.

Wind turbines as new smokestacks: Preserving ruralness and restrictive land-use ordinances across U.S. counties

Renewable energy (RE) facilities provide a global public good of climate mitigation but impose local costs such as landscape disruption and harming the rural character. Because of their land-intensive nature, utility-scale RE facilities tend to be located in rural areas with plentiful and cheap land. In the U.S., about every fourth county (729 of 3,143) has enacted ordinances restricting the siting of RE facilities. Drawing on a novel dataset of county-level restrictions on wind and solar RE facilities for the period 201o-2022, we explore whether, all else equal, levels of ruralness motivate the onset of such restrictions. As the policy literature on problem visibility suggests, we find support for this hypothesis for wind energy facilities only, probably because wind turbines due to their height tend to disrupt the rural landscape and are visible from long distances. We also find that counties are more likely to adopt restrictions for both wind and solar when adjacent counties have enacted them, thereby suggesting a contagion effect in the onset of restrictions. Contrary to the prevalent view on partisanship in climate policy, liberal counties are likely to restrict wind facilities. Our paper points to important sociological and quality-of-life factors that might be impeding the clean energy transition.

Landscape Assessment of North American Wave and Wind Facilities

The National Full-Scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events (NICHE) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure 1 project that aims to meet a critical need for full-scale testing for natural hazards resilience in the 21st century. The current project serves to establish an integrated design testbed (IDT) that will facilitate the design of the full-scale NICHE facility. This paper provides an overview of a landscape assessment of wave and wind facilities across North America that will inform the design of the physical experimentation portion of the IDT and eventual NICHE. The landscape assessment illustrates a comprehensive study of wave and wind facilities by expanding upon their research, capabilities, specifications, and equipment. In doing so, the paper intends to detail the critical need for a facility like NICHE in the nation’s research infrastructure while providing a database for wave and wind research that can promote future research and collaboration.

Numerical Simulation and Parameter Optimization of a New Reed–Nylon Net Combined Sand Fence

This paper introduces a kind of double-row reed–nylon net combined sand barrier. Using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and the Euler–Euler double-fluid model, the new sand fences’ windproof effect and airflow features are simulated under different porosities and spacings, and the optimal configuration parameters are selected. The new sand fence has better windproof performance and practical significance than double-row reed and double-row nylon net fences. The new sand fences with a porosity of 0.3–0.4 and spacing of 28 H provide a longer protection range and a better wind protection effect. Considering the serious sand damage in China’s Taklamakan Desert, the new fences’ impact on sand buildup is examined. The combined sand fences have powerful sand blocking and accumulation effects, even though there is only a small quantity of sand accumulation on the leeward side of the second row. The sand particles primarily settle between sand fences in the center and rear areas. The combination of sand fences made of different materials combines the advantages of both, improves the construction efficiency and service life, and provides a more economical and efficient sand barrier arrangement for the arrangement of wind and sand-blocking facilities around railroads and highways in desert areas.

Wind loads on a low-rise gable roof with and without solar panels and comparison to design standards

ABSTRACT This paper aims to understand how photovoltaic (PV) panels impact wind loads on low-rise buildings. The hypothesis posits that solar panels on a roof reduce wind-induced forces on components and cladding. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally investigated a 1:7.5 scale model in an open-jet wind facility, considering cases of bare roof and roofs with PV panels in three different configurations. The findings indicate that PV panels offer varying benefits based on the wind direction angle, generally reducing total wind forces on the primary structure. The addition of solar panels yields wind load reductions of 45–63%, depending on the configuration and details of the solar panel system, implying that buildings may not require additional reinforcement for PV panels. The findings have significant implications for enhancing the design and installation of residential solar energy systems, promising a more sustainable and secure future amid climate change and extreme weather challenges.

New concept of renewable energy priority zones for efficient onshore wind and solar expansion

The intensification of climate change impacts requires a fast and efficient transition of energy systems and deployment of renewable energies worldwide. An adequate site assessment strategy forms the basis for expanding installed capacities and energy yield. This study applies a set of meaningful criteria to determine site suitability for Germany's onshore wind and utility-scale solar photovoltaics facilities. An aggregated priority index involving meteorological-technical, economic, and environmental criteria is developed and used in a new concept for identifying renewable energy priority zones, where installations of wind and solar energy facilities should be prioritized. As a novelty, this resource-centered approach does not only analyze the mean energy potential as a meteorological criterion but also accounts for other characteristics such as variability, complementarity, and predictability. The results indicate that reducing legal restrictions substantially facilitates wind and solar energy capacity expansion in prioritized zones. With weak restrictions, up to 22% and 12% of Germany represent priority zones for an efficient and sustainable use of solar and wind energy. However, due to the intermittent nature of wind and solar resources, mismatches between generation potential and electricity demand would persist even with substantial capacity expansion. Future energy systems must advance the expansion of renewable energy capacities just as the flexibilization of demand or an increase of storage capacities to guarantee future energy security and mitigate climate change. The newly developed renewable energy priority zones are a starting point and can be transferred to other study areas by specifically adapting criteria and their weighting.

The Impact of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives on Electricity Pricing in Texas

Texas has abundant natural resources, making it a good place for renewable energy facilities to build. Unfortunately, property taxes are the highest tax on an incoming renewable energy facility in the state. In order to increase renewable energy in the state, Texas tax code Chapter 313 was introduced. Chapter 313 allows school districts the opportunity to offer a 10-year limit, ranging from USD 10 million to USD 100 million, on the taxable value of a new green energy project. With Chapter 313 ending in 2022, the following question is raised: how do tax incentives that increase the number of applications for producing renewable energy in Texas impact the wholesale, real-time pricing of electricity in the state? Skew-t regression models were implemented on a large dataset, focusing on the designated North, Houston, and West regions of the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), since these regions account for 80% of the state’s energy consumption. Analysis focused on the hours ending at 3 AM, 11 AM, and 4 PM, due to the ERCOT’s time-of-day pricing. Three key findings related to the above question resulted. First, tax incentives that increase the number of active wind and solar facilities lead to a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) reduction in wholesale electricity price (USD/MWh), ranging between 2.31% and 6.6% across the ERCOT during different hours of the day. Second, for a 10% increase in tax-incentivized green energy generation, during a 24-hour period, there is a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) reduction in the generation cost (USD/MWh), ranging between 0.82% and 1.96%. Finally, electricity price reductions from solar energy are much lower than those from wind generation and/or are not statistically significant.

Wind Turbine Fire Prevention System Using Fuzzy Rules and WEKA Data Mining Cluster Analysis

With the rapid expansion of the supply of renewable energy in accordance with the global energy transition policy, the wind power generation industry is attracting attention. Subsequently, various wind turbine control technologies have been widely developed and applied. However, there is a lack of research on optimal pitch control, which detects wind direction and changes the rotation angle of the blade in real time. In areas where the wind speed is not strong, such as South Korea, it is necessary to maintain the optimal angle in real time so that the rotating surface of the blade can face the wind direction. In this study, optimal pitch control was performed through real-time analysis of wind speed, direction, and temperature, which is the core of wind turbine maintenance, using fuzzy rules using FIS (Fuzzy Interface System) and WEKA data mining cluster analysis techniques. In order to prevent fires caused by the over-current of wind turbines, over-current control methods such as VCB (Vacuum Circuit Breaker) utilization, prototype utilization such as a modular MCB (Main Circuit Breaker) incorporating VI (Vacuum Interrupter), and vacuum degree change analysis methods using a PD (Partial Discharge) signal were proposed. The optimal control technique for wind turbine parts and facilities was put forth after judging and predicting the annual average wind distribution suitable for wind power generation using HRWPRM (Korea’s High-Resolution Wind Power Resource Maps). Finally, the various wind turbine control methods carried out in this study were confirmed through computer simulation, such as remote diagnosis and early warning issuance, prediction of power generation increase and decrease situation, and automatic analysis of wind turbine efficiency.

Modeling the Spatial Distribution of Carcasses of Eagles Killed by Wind Turbines

ABSTRACT Currently, the US Fish and Wildlife Service makes eagle permitting and management decisions nationwide based on a limited understanding of the impacts of wind power generation on eagles, and the factors that influence risk at a given facility. Accurate estimates of eagle mortality at wind power facilities form the basis for comparing the magnitudes of mortality rates in different areas and for measuring the benefits of proposed methods of minimizing the collision-caused impacts to eagle populations. Simple counts of observed eagle carcasses at wind facilities are almost certainly underestimates of the true mortality because fatalities can be removed by scavengers, be missed by searchers, or fall outside searched areas. For the latter, models of relative carcass density as a function of distance from the turbine can be fit to observed carcass locations and used to estimate the proportion of carcasses expected to land within an area of any configuration beneath a turbine. In the USA, however, it has been difficult to estimate these models for large birds such as Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) due to inadequate numbers of dead eagles found at any single facility. In this case, analysis of a surrogate species might be useful to inform carcass distributions. We chose to model the carcass distribution of White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Norway as an informative surrogate for Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles in the USA. Our three best-fitting parametric models were very consistent in estimating that 50% (95% CI: 40–60%) of White-tailed Eagle carcasses land within approximately 42 m of the turbines that had 70-m hubs and approximately 40-m blades. Although our models were fit to data from White-tailed Eagles and not Bald or Golden Eagles, applying these models when calculating mortality impacts of wind developments on both eagle species will likely improve the accuracy of post-construction mortality estimates, particularly at sites where substantial areas may be unsearchable. Accurate post-construction mortality estimates can inform pre-construction fatality prediction models. Resource managers can determine whether their conditions are sufficiently similar to those we modeled to warrant the use of these models for Bald and Golden Eagle carcass distributions.

Modelling and simulation of wind flow: A gradient method of identifying windy region

This paper presents biharmonic modelling and simulations of surface wind flow, which identify windy locales through wind speed gradients. The bulk measured and meteosat wind speed data encapsulate the wind isotachs and wind flow gradients, which are very useful in identifying windy locales. Thus, this paper presents a biharmonic wind flow model, BWFM for the development of wind isotachs and gradients to identify locales suitable for installing solar photovoltaic power plants within the study areas. The techniques include the acquisition of wind speed data (1980–2020) from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), development of multiple BWFM solutions (free and forced) depending on the presence and absence of forcing function, respectively. The forcing function represents the topographic and orographic features of the study areas. The spatial development of isopleth of the study areas, unveiled the isotachs. The wind speed gradients were obtained by scalar computation of 2-D wind speed gradients. Comparison of forced solution with the threshold or maximum free solution engendered the identification of windy locales. The results of the model were validated against NASA data. The average wind speed threshold isotach (2.83 m/s) and wind gradient ([Formula: see text]) for the study areas (All Regions) were established by scalar computation of free solution gradients. The study areas include Northern, Eastern, Central and Western Regions recorded the following maximum forced average wind speeds (2.725, 2.755, 2.875 and 1.794 m/s, respectively) and maximum wind flow gradients (insignificant, 0.03767, 0.08469 and infinitesimal [Formula: see text], respectively). These results are useful for identifying windy locales for installation of solar and wind facilities.