The wind energy potential of Gökçeada in the Northern Aegean Sea

Wind data collected over a period of three years at four different locations in Gökçeada were evaluated to estimate the potential of wind energy in the north-western part of Turkey. The data from the selected stations were used to estimate the regional mean wind speed distribution of Gökçeada, which revealed that four distinct regions exist with values from 1.0 to 4.0; 4.1 to 6.0, 6.1 to 8.0 and greater than 8.1 m/s. For each station, an extensive analysis was carried out to find the monthly average wind speed and its distribution. Several types of probabilistic distribution were matched to these distributions including the Weibull distribution. It was observed that one third of the island enjoys annual wind speeds greater than 6.0 m/s. This potential can be converted to electrical energy by means of wind farms, and the energy extracted from this source may supply electricity to the island and a small part of the mainland.