The effect of diurnal profile and seasonal wind regime on sizing grid-connected and off-grid wind power plants

► A model for synthetic generation of hourly wind speed time series is proposed. ► The methodology is validated using experimental wind speed data. ► Grid-connected and off-grid wind power systems are sized using generated data. ► Diurnal profile and wind speed regime influence power system sizing and economics. ► Effects of diurnal profile and wind regime are more pronounced in off-grid systems.