Wind energy potential of the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere under modern climatic changes
M.G. Akperov1, A.V. Eliseev1,2,3
1A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
2Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
3Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan, Russia
Keywords: wind energy resources, sea ice, leaf area index, Arctic, climate change, reanalysis
Abstract
Quantitative estimates of changes in wind energy resources in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere are obtained using ERA5 reanalysis data for 1979-2021. The wind energy potential (WEP) was estimated during the analysis. According to the ERA5 reanalysis data, a marked increase in the WEP over the Greenland, Norwegian, Barents, Kara, and Chukchi Seas, as well as over the European territory of Russia in winter, over the Kara and Norwegian Seas in spring, and a general increase in WEP along the Arctic coast, in particular over its Russian sector in summer and autumn, are noted under the current climate regime. The noted changes in WEP quite well correlate with the retreat of sea ice in the Arctic, as well as with the leaf area index, which characterizes the roughness of the underlying surface in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The increase in the proportion of the year when wind generators are capable to operate over the Russian Arctic makes the region quite promising for the use and development of wind power in the context of the climate change.
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