Urban wind energy potential assessment of Samsun-Vezirköprü Türkiye

Global population growth and technological advancements have increased energy demand. Meeting this demand predominantly through fossil fuels brings environmental problems and the risk of resource depletion. Therefore, there is a growing tendency toward environmentally friendly and sustainable renewable energy sources. Among these sources, wind energy has made significant progress both in Turkey and worldwide. However, the fact that wind farms are generally installed far from residential areas leads to energy transmission losses and technical challenges. On the other hand, the concentration of population in urban areas shifts energy demand to these regions, increasing the need for sustainable urban energy solutions. In this context, urban wind energy systems offer an important alternative in terms of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. This study aims to evaluate the urban wind potential of Vezirköprü district, located in Samsun Province. For this purpose, five-year daily average wind speed data from two different locations—one from the town center and the other from a forested area—were utilized. Based on these wind speed datasets, the suitability of two different urban wind turbines for the region's conditions was examined. During the analysis process, the shape and scale parameters of the Weibull distribution were determined. Using these parameters, a one-year synthetic daily average wind speed dataset was generated through Monte Carlo simulation. Subsequently, the method proposed by Guo et al. (2016) was employed to convert these datasets into hourly wind speeds. Using the obtained hourly data, wind speeds at the proposed turbine installation heights were calculated, and the energy production capacities of the selected turbine models, along with their annual energy consumption coverage rates, were analyzed. According to the findings, the Greef 500W wind turbine was determined to have a higher energy production potential compared to the Archimedes 1000W turbine, thanks to its low cut-in speed and wide operating range. The evaluations conducted specifically for Vezirköprü revealed that low-capacity turbines such as the Greef 500W, designed for urban use, can make a meaningful contribution to household energy needs. In this regard, it is concluded that promoting the use of renewable energy at the regional scale is feasible, which could also contribute to reducing carbon emissions.