Hourly wind velocity exceedence maps of Turkey

Risk analysis is one of the very important topics in engineering applications and scientific researches. In wind engineering, the possible extreme wind velocities constitute the basic targets in risk evaluations. In practice, lower extremes are significant for low energy generation possibilities and for power-cut risks, depending on the turbine type. However, upper extremes endanger the stability of the wind turbines. Additionally, the maxima of wind velocity variations have fundamental importance in engineering structural designs. Besides, from the meteorological point of view, maximum wind velocities directly relate to storms and thunderstorms. In this paper, wind velocity exceedence maps over 10, 12, 15 and 20 m/s are produced for Turkey, and the necessary interpretations are given. These maps show that especially the western part of Turkey and, particularly, coastal areas are risky locations for structural stability and wind erosion. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.