Wind Resource Assessment for the Kingdom of Bahrain

The geographical distribution of wind speed (the wind atlas) for the kingdom of Bahrain is presented, based on measured data and on calculations undertaken using WAsP,. The data used were recorded by the Meteorological Directorate at a weather station situated at Bahrain International Airport, taken on an hourly basis for a period of time extended for ten years. These data indicate an annual mean wind speed of 4.6 m/s at 10 m height and mean Weibull scale and shape parameters C and k of 5.2 m/s and 1.9 respectively. At a typical wind turbine hub height of sixty metres, these values are extrapolated to 6.9 m/s, 7.8 m/s and 1.8 respectively, which suggests that the area has a good wind resource. The wind atlas shows that several locations in the less populated central and southern regions of the main island of the archipelago of Bahrain are potentially suitable for wind energy production.