Abstract:
Malaysia intends to find alternative energy resources in electricity generation. Wind
is one of the fastest growing resources in the world. However, initial wind characteristic study
and spatial wind mapping need to be established prior to develop wind energy systems. Spatial
wind mapping could provide a compact, informative picture of wind data. The aim of this study
was to conduct initial wind characteristic study and spatial wind mapping in Malaysia. Wind data
measured at a height of 10 m for nine selected potential sites in Malaysia were obtained from
the Malaysian Meteorological Department. In this study, variations of wind speed according to
height, Weibull distribution and spatial wind mapping by Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) were
analyzed. The results revealed that, both wind resources at sites, Mersing and Kudat, had higher
potential to develop a modern wind system. In addition, the Weibull distribution also proved that
higher potential wind resources at Mersing site. Lastly, IDW spatial wind mapping showed that
wind resources in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia are higher than other areas. Spatial wind
mapping could be a useful tool for the decision making and planning in wind energy development.
