The Potential Wind Power Resource in Central-South of the Constanta County

Abstract

Usually, wind turbine generator’s structures or radio masts are located in wind exposed sites. The paper aims to investigate the wind conditions in the nearby area of Cobadin Commune, Constanta County, Romania at heights of 150-200m above the surface using global reanalysis data sets CFSR, ERA 5, ERA I and MERRA 2. Using the extreme value theory and the physical models of the datasets, the research focuses on the assessment of the maximum values that are expected for the wind speeds, but the wind statistics created can be used for a further wind or energy yield calculation. Without reaching the survival wind speed for wind turbine generators, with mean wind speed values higher than 7 m/s and considering the cut-in and cut-out wind speeds of 3 m/s, respectively 25 m/s, the site can be exploited in more than 90% of the time to generate electricity, thus, the paper is addressed to the investors in the energy of renewable sources. At the same time, the insights of the wind characteristics and the knowledge of the extreme values of the wind speed can be useful, not just for the designers, in the rational assessment of the structural safety of wind turbines, but also those evaluating the insured losses.