# An Analysis of the Wind Parameters in the Western Side of the Black Sea
## 1 Introduction  
Renewable sources of energy are not a new topic but it remains a controversial one. The 20 th century energy system based on fossil fuels created an urgent need to experiment with alternatives leading to a sustainable energy future. Renewables are still far from overtaking fossil fuels in the global energy system; still, their growth is fast and contributes to a nascent and uncertain energy transition with major effects in the field of environment, economy, governance, and society. Renewable energy sources are crucial for long-term efforts to mitigate climate change and are expected to play a vital role in improving the entire planet's energy security [1; 2; 3]. According to the European Commission, by 2050, Europe must increase the offshore wind capacities between 230 and 450 GW. So far, Romania is the leader of Southeast Europe in terms of onshore developments, with an installed capacity of 3 GW [4]. The development of onshore wind farms was achieved mainly in the Dobrogea plateau. In this area are concentrated almost 80% of the existing wind turbines from Romania. The largest onshore wind farm in Europe is the Fantanele-Cogeealac, also established in Dobrogea, having an installed capacity of 600 MW [5]. On contrary, there is still little information on the energetic offshore potential of the Black Sea basin. In their studies [6] the authors estimated a total potential natural capacity of 94 GW, out of which 22 GW could be installed as fixed turbines and 72 GW from offshore wind farms. Previous studies based on the Black Sea wave wind conditions indicate that the western part of the sea is more energetic than the eastern sector [7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12]. Moreover, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [13] affirmed that in terms of the spatial distribution of extreme events, most probable storm conditions occur in the western part, whereas in the eastern sector it is more likely to happen in a relatively short time window. In their work [7] the authors assessed the largestaverage power of 7 kW/m in the South Western part of the Black Sea, whereas the average mean wave power in the eastern part is about 3 kW/m, with a maximum of 4 kW/m. In terms of wind speed, the western side records significant seasonal variations, while the eastern area is characterized by more stable conditions [14; 15]. In their research [15] the authors have conducted a comparison between average wind speed from coastal stations (4.9 m/s) and satellites data (6 m/s). In [16], based on the wind wave conditions evaluated over 50 years (1958-2007), it is concluded that the wind and wave climate of the western Black Sea shelf manifests large spatial and seasonal variability. The authors stated that wind speed exceeded 40 m/s in the open sea and 25 m/s near shore. The analysis made in [17; 18] indicates that the Romanian coastal environment is more energetic during the winter season, with an average wind speed at 80 m of about 9.7 m/s and a power density of 870 W/m\({}^{2}\). [PERSON] et al. [19] pointed out that during summer months low quality of wind and wave were observed due to their low and weak speeds. In their work [20], [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] obtained from the Gloria platform values of the wind fields at 10 m height from 6 m/s to 7 m/s, covering a time period from 1987 to 2009. [PERSON], [PERSON], and [PERSON] have concluded in their study [21] that the mean wind speed at the height of 10 m was 6.7 m/s. Based on the literature review mentioned above, there is an increasing interest in marine renewable project development based on the wind and wave resources located in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. In this context, the purpose of the present study is to contribute to the characterization of the wind climate along the western part of the Black Sea Basin over a period of 6 years (2015-2020) and to estimate ideal areas for exploiting this resource.