High-altitude wind resources in the Middle East

In the Middle East, near-surface wind resources are intermittent. However, high-altitude wind resources are abundant, persistent, and readily available and may provide alternative energy resources in this fossil-fuel-dependent region. Using wind field data from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2017-08, Vol.7 (1), p.9885-10, Article 9885
Main Authors: Yip, Chak Man Andrew, Gunturu, Udaya Bhaskar, Stenchikov, Georgiy L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
704/106/35/823
704/172/4081
704/844/4066/4080
Alternative energy sources
Altitude
Annual variations
Diurnal
Energy demand
Energy industry
Energy resources
Generators
Ground stations
High-altitude environments
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Renewable resources
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Seasonal variations
Summer
Wind
Wind power
Winter
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Summary:In the Middle East, near-surface wind resources are intermittent. However, high-altitude wind resources are abundant, persistent, and readily available and may provide alternative energy resources in this fossil-fuel-dependent region. Using wind field data from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2), this study identifies areas favorable to the deployment of airborne wind energy (AWE) systems in the Middle East and computes the optimal heights at which such systems would best operate. AWE potential is estimated using realistic AWE system specifications and assumptions about deployment scenarios and is compared with the near-surface wind generation potential with respect to diurnal and seasonal variability. The results show the potential utility of AWE in areas in the Middle East where the energy demand is high. In particular, Oman and Saudi Arabia have a high level of the potential power generation with low annual variability.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-10130-6