Abstract
The objective of the present work is to evaluate the wind energy resources in the coastal environment of the Black Sea by providing a reliable projection for the next 30 years. The wind power is assessed for water depths in the range 25–125 m. The wind speeds considered are those provided by the Rossby Centre regional atmospheric model, version (RCA4) and predicted under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios 4.5 and 8.5 used in Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5). The time interval is 2021–2050, the wind speeds having a spatial resolution of 0.11°, with 6-h temporal resolution. An analysis of the historical data provided by these climatic wind models performed for the 30-year time interval 1976–2005 shows reliable results in the basin of the Black Sea. This gives a reasonable degree of confidence for the model results corresponding to the 30-year future time window considered, providing at the same time a mean of comparison with the future wind climate Although from the point of view of the wave energy, the Black Sea cannot be considered with high potential, especially when compared to the ocean coasts, as regards the wind power resources the potential of this coastal environment is in line with other coastal areas where such marine wind farms already successfully operate. Finally, it can be concluded that the present work provides a comprehensive and useful picture of the future wind energy resources in the coastal environment of the Black Sea as well as on the changes expected in the wind climate.