Investigation of wind characteristics and wind energy potential in Osmaniye, Turkey

Turkey is a country that is dependent on foreign energy; the majority of Turkey's energy needs are supplied through imports. Renewable energy sources are becoming important in Turkey due to both the country's energy dependency and the disadvantages of using fossil fuels. Turkey has begun to use renewable energy sources, especially wind energy, which has a high potential in the country. Moreover, investigations of and investments in wind power have increased recently.This study investigates the wind energy potential that is a result of the distribution of wind speeds in Osmaniye,which is located east of the Mediterranean Sea in Turkey. The Weibull and Rayleigh distribution methods, which are generally used for this type of wind energy study, are employed. The approximate wind energy potential was obtained and indicates whether the region is suitable for related investments. Wind data, consisting of wind speed, direction and flow time at a height of 10 m, were collected by the Turkish State Meteorological Service for a period of 44 months, from January 2008 to August 2011. To determine the Weibull parameters, a graphical method is used; hence, the mean annual value of the shape parameter (k) is between 1.00 and 1.04, while the annual value of the scale parameter (c) is between 1.59 and 1.66 m/s. The average wind speed and wind potential energy are 2.23 m/s and 24.587 W/m2, respectively.