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Wind Energy Potential in EUROPE
Map of mean 80-m wind speeds for year 2000
Wind speeds are calculated at 80 m, the hub height
of modern, 77-m diameter, 1500 kW turbines. Since
relatively few observations are available at 80
m, the Least Square extrapolation technique is utilized
and revised here to obtain estimates of wind speeds
at 80 m given observed wind speeds at 10 m (widely
available) and a network of sounding stations.
Tower data from the Kennedy Space Center (Florida)
were used to validate the results. Globally, ~13%
of all reporting stations experience annual mean
wind speeds ≥ 6.9 m/s at 80 m (i.e., wind
power class 3 or greater) and can therefore be considered
suitable for low-cost wind power generation. This
estimate is believed to be conservative.
Areas with great potential are found in Northern
Europe along the North Sea.
http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/winds/global_winds.html
Availability of standardized evaluations
of the wind energy potential
Wind energy potential can not easily be shown in
simple overwiew maps. The map indicates the countries
for which wind energy evaluations are available.
These have been carried out by means of a standardized
method developped by the danish Risø Laboratory.
http://www.energie-atlas.ch/wi-100.htm
Wind Map of Western Europe
This wind map of Western Europe was originally
published as part of the European Wind Atlas.
Please note that the data for Norway, Sweden and
Finland are from a later study, and are calculated
for 45 m height above ground level, and assume
an open plain.
The purple zones are the areas with
the strongest winds while the blue zones have the
weakest winds. The dividing lines between the different
zones are not as sharp as they appear on the map.
In reality, the areas tend to blend smoothly into
one another.
You should note, however, that the
colours on the map assume that the globe is round
without obstacles to the wind, speed up effects
, or varying roughness of the terrain. You may therefore
easily find good, windy sites for wind turbines
on hills and ridges in, say the yellow or green
areas of the map, while you have little wind in
sheltered terrain in the purple areas.
http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wres/euromap.htm
Countries
Albania | Andorra | Austria | Belarus | Belgium |
Bosnia Herzigowina | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus |
Czech Republic | Denmark
| Estonia | Finland
| France | Germany
| Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland
| Italy | Latvia
| Liechtenstein | Lithuania
| Luxembourg | FYR of Macedonia | Malta | FS of Moldova
| Monaco | Netherlands | Norway | Poland | Portugal
| Romania | Russia
| San Marino | Serbia & Montenegro | Slovakia
| Slovenia | Spain
| Sweden | Switzerland
| Ukraine | United
Kingdom | Yugoslavia
Related GENI Resources
Links
EWEA
(European Wind Energy Association)
OWE
(Offshore Windenergy Europe)
Sahara
Wind
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