Title: Assessment of offshore wind potential in Morocco

Authors: H. Laaouidi; Mourad Nachtane; Mostapha Tarfaoui; Mourad Trihi

Addresses: FSAC – UH2C, Laboratory for Renewable Energy and Dynamic Systems, Km 8 Road of El Jadida, B.P 5366 Maarif 20100, Casablanca 20000, Morocco ' University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Arts et Metiers Institute of Technology, Bordeaux INP, INRAE, I2M Bordeaux, F-33400 Talence, France ' ENSTA Bretagne, IRDL UMR CNRS 6027, F-29200 Brest, France ' FSAC – UH2C, Laboratory for Renewable Energy and Dynamic Systems, Km 8 Road of El Jadida, B.P 5366 Maarif 20100, Casablanca 20000, Morocco

Abstract: In this research, a specific study on the evaluation of wind energy resources along the Atlantic coast of Morocco has been developed, utilising numerical modelling data. To evaluate the spatial distribution of wind power, 18 data points were chosen along this coast. Moreover, the adjustment of wind data and the statement of estimation methods related to form and scale parameters of the Weibull distribution was conducted after a thorough literature review. Then, a study and analysis of wind data based on its speed and direction were carried out, taking into account a five-year period between 2013 and 2017. These study findings denote higher energy production in areas where there is no physical barrier all along the Atlantic coast, whereas, in the extreme north and southern sites, the energy resource is considerably lower because of the shadow effect of the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands, respectively.

Keywords: offshore wind energy; wind turbine; the wind potential; wind power density; Weibull distribution function; electricity production.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETP.2021.119837

International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy, 2021 Vol.17 No.5, pp.423 - 441

Received: 04 Oct 2019
Accepted: 15 Oct 2020
Published online: 22 Dec 2021 *

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