## 4 Conclusions  
This study focused on simulating wind speed using the WRF model and estimated the wind energy potential in Iran covering the period 2004-2020. Through the evaluation of different PBL parameterization schemes against several ground measurements, it was  
Figure 9: Comparison of model-simulated and observed wind speed (m/s) distributions at SATBA stations. found that the ACM2 scheme exhibited the best overall performance on an annual basis, while the QNSE PBL scheme performed better during the cold season. Additionally, local-closure PBL schemes during the cold season and non-local-closure PBL schemes during the warm season showed better performance, attributed to their ability to consider small/large scale eddies within the PBL. The WRF model exhibited some biases under intense wind speed conditions, particularly in overestimating wind speeds in mountainous regions. These biases, influenced by the elevation difference between the model grid cell and the actual elevation of the station, may contribute to systematic errors in the model. However, despite these challenges, the comparison between the model's wind simulations and observational data revealed that for over 77% of the stations, the model's bias error was less than 2 m/s, demonstrating the WRF's accuracy for realistic wind energy assessment studies in Iran. Furthermore, the study identified areas with high wind energy potential for the installation of wind farms and Aeolian parks, including regions along the eastern Iranian border, such as the Sistan Basin and its surroundings. The highest wind energy potential exhibited a distinct seasonality, with the maximum in summer and the minimum in late autumn, while on an annual basis, regions in eastern Iran were classified into the highest classification groups according to the average wind speeds (>7 m/s). These results may provide practical solutions and valuable insights for industry stakeholders, facilitating informed decision making, and promoting the effective utilization of wind energy resources in the Middle East region. Furthermore, this research contributes to the transition towards renewable energy sources, aiding in the reduction in fossil fuel consumption for power and electricity generation and supporting efforts to mitigate climate change. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1408304/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1408304/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1408304/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1408304/s1)), Table S1: Comparison of the wind speeds simulated by the WRF model for different PBL schemes and the measured wind data at a height of 40 m in Istakah Fadashk station for July 2013 and January 2013; Figure S1: Mean diurnal patterns of wind speed from WRF simulations with different PBL schemes and wind measurements at Istakah Fadashk stations for July 2013 (a) and January 2013 (b). Conceptualization, N.H.H., A.R.S. and D.G.K. ; methodology, N.H.H. and Z.G. ; software, N.H.H. and A.R.S. ; validation, N.H.H., M.M.P., R.-E.P.S. and A.R.S. ; formal analysis, N.H.H., A.R.S. and D.G.K. ; resources, N.H.H. data curation, N.H.H. and A.R.S. ; writing--original draft preparation, D.G.K. ; writing--review and editing, A.R.S., D.G.K., Z.G. and R.-E.P.S. ; visualization, N.H.H., M.M.P., A.R.S. and N.H.H. ; supervision, A.R.S., M.H. and D.G.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research received no external funding. Not applicable. The datasets supporting the reported results include MODIS via Giovanni ([[https://giovanni.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/](https://giovanni.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/)]([https://giovanni.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/](https://giovanni.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/)) (accessed on 12 October 2023)).