MAPPING OF OFFSHORE WIND AND WAVE AROUND JAPAN FOR SELECTION OF FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE

Although the information of wind state on land around Japan is provided, the detailed wind information around offshore sea is not given. Offshore wind and wave information are necessary when planning an offshore wind farm for the use of natural renewable energy. The present study made mappings of detailed wind and wave conditions around Japan. It becomes clear that the annual averaged wind speeds at a height of 10 m from the sea surface, economical criterion of wind energy utilization, are greater than 6 m/s except near coastal regions. The average wind speeds for each of the four seasons and twelve months are also obtained. A user friendly information system was developed to indicate the values of wind speed and wave height at the same location.