Wind Resource Development Project for Armenia

Armenia has few proven reserves of natural energy and is dependent on long, unreliable transport lines for oil and gas. Preliminary studies indicate that the wind energy potential in Armenia is more than 500 megawatts (MW), assuming a reasonable fraction of 10% of the land area in the high-wind zones. Over the long term, the Armenian government intends to meet 8%-10% of its electric consumptionneeds by grid-connected wind turbines. The goals of this project are to enhance Armenia's energy security, mitigate the environmental damage of conventional sources of energy, reduce future carbon dioxide emissions, build an environmentally sound and sustainable model for economic development, and promote trade between the U.S. and Armenia. The project is being funded by the Cafesjian FamilyFoundation, a private foundation based in the United States in Naples, Florida, with the participation of Ecotrade, Inc. of Glendale, California. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is providing technical assistance. As part of the wind energy development project, we conducted a preliminary wind-energy resource assessment for some regions in Armenia. This activity provided valuableinformation needed to facilitate the commercialization of wind farms in Armenia and to lay the groundwork for subsequent wind resource activities. This paper presents the wind resource monitoring results (1999-2000) for the candidate site. Our preliminary assessment identified areas with good-to-excellent wind resource potential.