Wind profile analyses and atmospheric stability over a complex terrain in southwestern part of Hungary

The sudden and widespread wind technological developments of the last decade raised the question of the effectiveness of wind energy utilisation in moderate wind regions, such as Hungary. In order to support governmental efforts and to facilitate initiatives on renewable energy consumption a research project has started on mapping potential wind resources of the country. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to emphasise the importance of accurate vertical wind profile estimations in wind energy modelling. Wind profile measurements and data analysis are carried out at station Hegyhátsál, where multilevel wind speed time series are available for the 1995-2002 period. The structure of the vertical wind profile, and the atmospheric stability is analysed using the data of four measuring levels (10 m, 48 m, 82 m, and 115 m). Then, estimating vertical cross-sections of wind fields the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP) has been applied to extrapolate the measured data for the surroundings of station Hegyhátsál.