Armenia’s best wind resource areas are generally located on top of the higher
ridges and mountains or in wind corridors such as mountain passes. Armenia is
located beneath the mid-latitude westerly jet stream. The interaction of the jet
stream and the major topographic features of Armenia is one of the factors that
have a significant influence on the distribution of the wind resource. The jet
stream influence is greatest from October through March. In the warmer part of
the year (April through September), the jet stream is considerably weaker, and
differential heating caused by the elevation changes within Armenia and between
Armenia and locations to the north and east of the country controls the distribution
of the wind resource.
The differential heating among the plateaus, ridge
tops, and low elevation areas produce regional and local temperature and pressure
gradients that cause the wind to blow. As a result of the regional and local winds,
the wind resource distribution in Armenia during the warm season is quite disparate.
Some locations have little wind resource and other locations, especially in some
passes, have high wind resource. Overall, the combination of jet stream and regional
heating influences produce a complex wind resource pattern in Armenia and it is
highly recommended that measurements be made before any wind energy project is
established.
