Wind energy resource assessment of Izmit in the West Black Sea Coastal Region of Turkey

The wind energy potential of Izmit (41.19 N, 30.30 E), which is located in the West Black Sea Coastal Region of Turkey, is assessed with the statistical analysis of the gathered wind data at the 50-m height measurement mast covering the period of 06/2008-06/2009. The annual average wind speed is calculated as 6 m/s and the prevailing wind direction is ENE (60 degrees). The Weibull distribution parameters of shape and scale factor are found as 2.03 and 6.73 m/s, respectively. The measured wind speed data are compared with the data of nearby meteorological stations and the results show that there is a considerable difference between the onsite measurements and the measurements of the meteorological stations. Moreover, a turbulence analysis is carried out and the turbulence intensity is negatively correlated with the normalized height from ground level with canopy height. The energy generation performances of three different wind turbines are evaluated by using the onsite wind speed measurements and the assessment shows that the capacity factor increase by a factor of two from 17% to 34% depending on the type of the turbine. Furthermore, an economic analysis is carried out for a 50 MW wind energy project for the potential site and the proposed project benefit/cost ratio is calculated as 8. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.