Evaluation of the wind power potential in the European nearshore of the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

In the last years, the offshore wind sector has been constantly growing in Europe, coming also with a very competitive production price. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the wind power potential in the European coastal environment of the Mediterranean Sea, an area with a high population density. Furthermore, a high energy demand exists here and the potential of the renewable energy resources needs to be assessed for further exploitation. The analysis was performed considering some reference locations. The climate change impact on the wind energy resource is also investigated. Various comparisons between historical data and future climate projections simulated by a Regional Climate Model under RCP4.5 scenario are made. The results obtained show that in various locations, especially in Golf of Lion and the Aegean Sea, there are appropriate conditions for offshore wind exploitations.