Zoning and forecasting of the wind energy potential in Hamadan Province using Geographic Information System

Growing demands for energy, increasing living standards and increasing use of electrical energy along with the overheating of planet Earth, as well as environmental problems and threats to human health are among the issues that attract the world’s attention to the use of renewable energies. So, new energy resources, including wind energy, account for one third of the energy needed for countries in the annual planning. Since Hamadan is one of the provinces in Iran with severe winds with relatively good continuity, the use of this energy in wind turbines is indispensable for generating electricity at the provincial level, especially in impassable areas. Today, many dangers, including the threat of climate, change the Earth’s environment. This controls the methods that can reduce the use of renewable energies such as solar, geothermal, wind, etc. Strong and frequent winds are very important energy sources for many parts of the country. In this study, the average and maximum wind speed yearly energy (annually and seasonally) and its energy based on the data from nine synoptic stations in Hamadan province in the climate period of 2000-2014 have been analyzed and spatial velocity of wind speed and its energy in this region were studied.
: The length of the statistical period in the present study was 10 years. After checking the accuracy of the data, the mean and maximum of the seasonal and annual wind speed were calculated and drawn. Then wind energy was calculated using wind power density (watts per square meter), air density (g / cm3), wind speed (m/s). To investigate the spatial distribution of wind energy potential in Hamadan province based on the obtained information, the values were zoned using Kriging method in GIS. Finally, the probability of occurrence and the prediction of the return period of wind were calculated using the Log Pearson type 3 method.
According to the zoning plan, the maximum annual wind speed in the Hamadan is related to the southern parts of the province. Some parts of the province in Kabudrahang are accompanied by intense storms. In winter, maximum wind speed is determined by the instability of air and weather in areas of Hamadan province.
The Average annual wind speed zoning pattern indicates that the east parts of Hamadan and some parts of Malayer and Razan have the highest average wind speed (above 3 meters per second), while in other parts of the province it is less than 3 meters per second. The Eastern part of Hamadan province (from the South east to the North east), are the windiest region of the province, and in most of the times of a year these parts have the potential of wind power production. Some regions of the Southwest are also capable of producing wind power during the year.
The role of topography on wind speed in Hamadan province is noteworthy. The mountainous regions of the province such as Hamadan, Nahavand and Asadabad are more exposed to the winds of the plains - mountains. Hot wind is also one of the meteorological phenomena due to the mountain effects, which is often found in the city of Hamadan.
The East and parts of the city of Malayer, and especially in the Northern areas of the province with the highest average wind speed (above three meters per second) and the West and Southwest shown with minimum wind speed during the period specified. Most of the year, the most windy areas, Eastern and Northern regions of the province, have the ability to produce electricity from wind energy. Kabodarahang plain areas of the city of Razan have the highest wind energy potential in watts per square meter and the greatest potential for energy production from wind in Hamadan is in spring and autumn.
In the studied area, Nojeh station (North of the province) with more than 18%, and then Malayer station (Southeast of the province) with more than 17%, have the priority for establishing wind turbines due to wind speed persistence. By studying the occurrence of wind speed in the meteorological stations of Hamadan province, some areas of the Razan plain and Kabudrahang are suitable for planning wind power usage.