The assessment of offshore wind power potential of Turkey

Abstract

In this paper, the offshore wind power potential assessment of Turkey is presented. Due to the increased amounts of energy needs, the need for energy supply from renewable energy sources has increased in the world. Turkey with its growing industry, economy, and population has high energy demands thus investments on all renewable energy resources primarily on wind power has shown increase in the last decade. However there is still dependence on foreign energy resources. This paper examines the suitability of 54 coastal regions for offshore wind power installation. The study reveals that among 54 regions 10 of them are suitable for plant installation but initially Bozcaada, Amasra, Samandagi, Gokceada and Inebolu coastal regions should be considered for offshore wind power generation due to higher wind speeds but further analysis should be carried out before making the final decision.