Energy

Wind map

In order to produce enough electric power the place where the aerogenerator is installed has to be very windy. The assessment of the output potential of a wind power plant is a difficult and complex operation, depending on the characteristics of the winds that blow in the area where the plant is to be created. The conformation of a land affects the speed of the wind. Obstacles can strongly influence the speed, power, direction and distribution of winds. For example, as regards mountains, it has been shown that whereas steep slopes create turbulences that are dangerous in terms of stability and negative in terms of plant efficiency, more gradual slopes favour the concentration of the wind. In general, the ideal position for an aerogenerator is a land with a limited number of obstacles with an inclination between 6 and 16 degrees. The wind must be faster than 5.5 metres a second and blow constantly during most of the year. As for the off-shore wind sites, the best are the ones where the wind exceeds 7-8 metres a second, which have shallow waters (between 4 and 40 metres) and are more than 3 km far from the coast. The creation of a plant presumes the knowledge of the “wind map” of the area, that shows how and how much wind blows in the interested site. Moreover, before building a plant, the power, speed and paths of the winds blowing in the selected areas are systematically recorded for extended periods of time.