Wind Map of Western Europe

Wind Resources at 50 (45) m Above Ground Level
Colour		Sheltered terrain	Open plain	At a sea coast	Open sea	Hills and ridges

How to Read the Wind Map of Western Europe
This wind map of Western Europe was originally published as part of the European Wind Atlas. The details on how to interpret the colours are given in the legend above. Please note that the data for Norway, Sweden and Finland are from a later study, and are calculated for 45 m height above ground level, and assume an open plain.
The purple zones are the areas with the strongest winds while the blue zones have the weakest winds. The dividing lines between the different zones are not as sharp as they appear on the map. In reality, the areas tend to blend smoothly into one another.
You should note, however, that the colours on the map assume that the globe is round without obstacles to the wind, speed up effects, or varying roughness of the terrain. You may therefore easily find good, windy sites for wind turbines on hills and ridges in, say the yellow or green areas of the map, while you have little wind in sheltered terrain in the purple areas.

The Power of the Wind
In case you cannot explain why the calculated mean power of the wind in the table is approximately twice the power of the wind at the given mean wind speed, you should read the four to six pages starting with the Weibull Distribution.

Reality is More Complicated
Actual local differences in the terrain will mean that the picture will be much more complicated, if we take a closer look. As an example, we will now take a closeup view of Denmark on the next page.