Analysis of the Characteristics of Wind Power and Topography Influence on It, With an Approach to Renewable Energy Generation (Synoptic Meteorological Stations of Mazandaran Province - Northern Iran)

Abstract

There has been a growing demand for energy in the province of Mazandaran in recent years. Considering the capabilities of the province to generate new energy, recognizing and consuming wind energy as a source of renewable energy should be a planning priority. In this study, a statistical analysis of daily wind speed and direction at a height of 10 m in15 synoptic meteorological stations of Mazandaran Province over a 12-year period (2006 to 2017) was conducted to provide a preliminary estimate of the extractable energy and spatial capacity of wind flow. In addition, the characteristics of wind speed and direction, Weibull probability distribution parameters and wind power potential and density of the stations were also determined. ArcGIS interpolation method (IDW) was used to prepare the calculated layers of the average speed, speed continuity, and power density of the wind at 10, 30, and 50 m heights. Furthermore, to examine the influence of topography on the wind variables, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between altitude, hillslope aspect, and slope indicators with each of the wind variables. A map of wind speed zones at 50 m height reveals that Baladeh station, with an average monthly wind speed of 5.98 m/s, has a maximum wind speed of 7.78 m/s in July. About 7 months of the year (April to October), the station records wind speeds of more than 6 m/s, especially during the warmer months. The study of spatial distribution of wind speed at different altitudes of the province shows that the average wind speed increases by 0.96 m/s to 2.91 m/s with increasing altitude from less than 200 m to over 5000 m.