Comparison of the goodness-of-fit of intelligent-optimized wind speed distributions and calculation in high-altitude wind-energy potential assessment

Highlights: • The high altitude wind energy potential in offshore China is assessed to fill the gap. • The metaheuristics tune ten single or combined distributions with 2–8 parameters. • Two problem formulations are applied to focus on all or operational intervals separately. • Top-ranked distributions are identified for 20 sites in the study area, respectively. • Assessment result is analyzed to provide suggestions to develop differentiated policies. Wind energy is an indispensable component of the power supply. To date, the majority of wind energy is generated based on the surface wind energy projects; however, it has a few technical limitations in satisfying the increasing power demand. Recently, more promising high-altitude wind energy projects (HAWEP) were started around the world using the emerging airborne wind power technology. This process technically requires the determination of high-altitude wind-energy potential for appropriately planning HAWEP. Nevertheless, most of the previous wind-energy potential assessment studies have considered only the wind energy close to the surface; few studies have focused on high-altitude wind energy. To bridge this gap, this study implements a comprehensive assessment of the high-altitude wind-energy potential of offshore China. The assessment applies the intelligent-optimized single and combined distributions to fit the high-altitude wind speed of 20 study sites and identifies the top-ranked distributions. Wind power density and available time are estimated and the general features of high-altitude wind-energy potential in the study area are discussed. The findings of this study can provide valuable suggestions for developing differentiated policies for HAWEP planning.