Author(s)

Hala A. Effat

National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Science, Cairo, Egypt.

Spatial mapping of potential zones for wind energy is crucial for sustainable regional planning. The Suez Canal Region, Egypt, is currently a focus for national government and international investments for developing the logistic area. The Suez Governorate region is known of its high wind speed along the Gulf of Suez coast. This paper aims at estimating and mapping the potential zones for harnessing wind energy in such region. The method utilizes satellite data and spatial multi-criteria evaluation. Landsat 8 OLI satellite image was used to derive the land-use/land-cover map. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM) was used in modeling the wind power density map using the region’s annual average wind speed data. Decision criteria including the climatic conditions, topography, infrastructure and land-cover maps were standardized, weighted and aggregated using weighted linear combination to identify the potential wind energy zones. The results reveal that the highest potential zones for wind energy reach a maximum value of 650 Watt/m² and a mean of 310 watt/m² and are located in the south-eastern part of the Suez Governorate Region along the Gulf of Suez. Findings indicate a high potential for harnessing wind energy in the region. The resultant maps can be used as guidelines for regional planning and zoning of renewable energy resources.

Wind Energy, Remote Sensing, Multi-Criteria, Evaluation, Suez, Egypt

Effat, H. (2017) Mapping Potential Wind Energy Zones in Suez Canal Region, Using Satellite Data and Spatial Multicriteria Decision Models. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 5, 46-61. doi: 10.4236/gep.2017.510005.