2.1. Average wind speeds
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Average annual wind speeds. Data on average annual wind speeds serve as a basic parameter to determine global wind intensity. Using information on the average annual wind speeds can, as a first approximation, give analysts a basic idea of the prospects available for the application of wind energy converters (WECs) in a particular area. One has to keep in mind, however, that wind speeds are contingent on the area’s land relief, the roughness of the surface, the presence of any features that can shade the surface, and the wind’s elevation above the ground. These conditions can vary considerably from one survey station to another. Therefore, an organized look at average wind speeds will necessitate comparing these parameters under commensurable conditions. It seems reasonable to assume as commensurable conditions such as a flat open surface and an elevation equaling 10 meters above the earth.
Results of an analysis of data compiled from a series of wind speed observations carried out at the Kola Peninsula’s 37 weather survey stations [6] over a period of 20 years are summarized in Fig. 2.1. The data are analyzed using these commensurable conditions. In order to make the data on average multi-year wind speeds more convenient for practical use, they are represented as a map. This visualization shows that the highest wind speeds can be observed in the coastal areas of the Barents Sea. On the northern coast of the Kola Peninsula, wind speeds reach 7 to 9 m/s. It is worth noting that wind speeds gradually decrease as the focus of survey moves further from the shoreline.
At the same time, average multi-year wind speeds increase significantly as the elevations change to higher levels. Fig. 2.2 demonstrates a correlation between the increase in average multi-year wind speeds and changes in the wind’s elevation over the surface from a 10-meter mark to 20, 30, 50, 70, and 100 meters above the ground.
As far as the average annual, or multi-year, wind speeds are concerned, a notice on one other important factor is in order: In the coastal areas of the Kola Peninsula, average annual wind speeds do not experience significant year-to-year changes, and their fluctuations are limited to within 5% to 8%. At the same time, the variation coefficient estimated for the streamflow rates of the region’s rivers ranges between 15% and 20%. Thus, seen in a long-term perspective, wind energy exposure in the region is subject to less variability than the energy of streamflow
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Fig.2.1 Average multi-year wind speeds (m/s) at a 10-meter mark over the ground
on a flat open-surface area.
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Fig.2.2 Average annual wind speed growth Δυ
at wind elevations ranging from 10 m to higher values H.
Annual wind cycle (Fig. 2.3) shows the scope of seasonal variations in the wind’s average speed. On the Kola Peninsula, these variations are observed most clearly on the area’s northern coast, where the gap between the winter wind speed maximum and the summer wind speed minimum reaches 5 to 6 m/s. The graphs visualizing these data show that in all areas surveyed, rather favorable conditions exist for the efficient application of wind energy in the region. Maximum wind speeds are observed during colder seasons of the year and coincide with the seasonal period of peak electric power and heat consumption in the region. It is notable that the wind speed winter maximum is in antiphase with the annual river flow (Fig. 2.3), that is, wind energy and hydropower can successfully supplement each other. This creates advantageous conditions for a joint application of their resources.
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Fig. 2.3 Annual cycle of monthly wind speeds on the islands (1) and in the coastal areas (2) of the Barents Sea, on the coast of the White Sea (3) and in Khibiny (4).
Weather survey stations: 1 - Harlov Island,
2 - Dalniye Zelentsy, 3 - Chavanga, 4 - Central.
Daily wind cycle represents the range of variations in average wind speeds during 24 hours. It is most clearly observed during the summer and is seen little during the winter. In the summer, wind speeds are approximately 1.5 to 2.0 m/s higher during day hours than they are at night. Given the reduced global exposure to wind intensity in the summer, the daily wind speed maximum creates especially favorable prospects for efficient wind energy development, since, as a rule, it is during daytime hours that the consumer’s need for energy increases.
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