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| Titel |
The Wind Energy Potential of Iceland |
| VerfasserIn |
Nikolai Nawri, Guðrún Nína Petersen, Halldór Björnsson, Andrea N. Hahmann, Kristján Jónasson, Charlotte Bay Hasager, Niels-Erik Clausen |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2014
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 16 (2014) |
| Datensatznummer |
250087877
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2014-1933.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| While Iceland has an abundant wind energy resource, its use for electrical power
production has so far been limited. Electricity in Iceland is generated primarily
from hydro- and geothermal sources, and adding wind energy has so far not been
considered practical or even necessary. However, wind energy is becoming a more viable
option, as opportunities for new hydro- or geothermal power installations become
limited.
In order to obtain an estimate of the wind energy potential of Iceland, a wind
atlas has been developed as part of the joint Nordic project “Improved Forecast
of Wind, Waves and Icing” (IceWind). Downscaling simulations performed with
the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model were used to determine the
large-scale wind energy potential of Iceland. Local wind speed distributions are
represented by Weibull statistics. The shape parameter across Iceland varies between
1.2 and 3.6, with the lowest values indicative of near-exponential distributions at
sheltered locations, and the highest values indicative of normal distributions at
exposed locations in winter. Compared with summer, average power density in winter
is increased throughout Iceland by a factor of 2.0 - 5.5. In any season, there are
also considerable spatial differences in average wind power density. Relative to
the average value within 10 km of the coast, power density across Iceland varies
between 50 - 250%, excluding glaciers, or between 300 - 1500 W m-2 at 50 m above
ground level in winter. At intermediate elevations of 500 - 1000 m above mean
sea level, power density is independent of the distance to the coast. In addition to
seasonal and spatial variability, differences in average wind speed and power density
also exist for different wind directions. Along the coast in winter, power density of
onshore winds is higher by 100 - 700 W m-2 than that of offshore winds. The regions
with the highest average wind speeds are impractical for wind farms, due to the
distances from road infrastructure and the power grid, as well as due to the harsh winter
climate. However, even in easily accessible regions, wind energy potential in Iceland,
as measured by annual average power density, is among the highest in Western
Europe.
Based on these results, 14 test sites were selected for more detailed analyses using the
Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP). These calculations show that a
modest wind farm of ten medium size turbines would produce more energy throughout
the year than a small hydro power plant, making wind energy a viable additional
option. |
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