It is estimated that there is nearly 5000 km2 of windy areas with good-to-excellent
wind resource potential in Sri Lanka. About 4100 km2 of the total windy area is
on land.
This windy land represents about 6% of the total land area (65,600
km2) of Sri Lanka. Using a conservative assumption of 5 MW per km2, this windy
land could support more than 20,000 MW of potential installed capacity. The windy
lagoon areas are estimated to encompass 700 km2 with a potential installed capacity
of 3500 MW.
The combined potential for Sri Lanka is estimated to be more
than 24,000 MW. There are 5 provinces with at least 1000 MW of wind potential.
Additional studies are required to accurately assess the wind electric potential,
considering factors such as the existing transmission grid and accessibility.
If additional areas with moderate wind resource potential (which could likely
become feasible in the near future with further advancements in wind technology)
are considered, the estimated total windy land and lagoon areas increases to more
than 11,000 km2, or about 15% of the total land area of Sri Lanka.
This amount
of windy area could support more than 51,000 MW (55,000 MW if lagoons are included)
of installed capacity. There are 7 provinces with more than 2000 MW of wind potential.
