Spatial–Temporal Estimation and Analysis of Japan Onshore and Offshore Wind Energy Potential

• Main Authors: Rémi Delage, Taichi Matsuoka, Toshihiko Nakata
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: wind potential; spatial–temporal analysis; cross-border; Japan
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/8/2168

In the carbon-neutral scenarios fixed by most developed countries, wind and solar resources play a significant role due to their substantial potential. Their instability can be mitigated through smarter designs of energy systems, including sector coupling and cross-border interconnections, which require detailed information on the spatial and temporal evolution of these intermittent resources. The present study aims at estimating the spatial–temporal energy potential of wind in Japan based on meteorological weather data. These data allow to analyze the potential of resources sharing to reduce power generation’s lack and excess, even in such an isolated country due to its variety of climate conditions and local energy demand. The correlation skewness is introduced as a measure of the sites’ uniqueness to identify important sites for the spatial distribution of capacity toward the efficient stabilization of supply at a national scale in a model-free fashion.