Geoinformation analysis of climatic factors of wind energy development in ternopil region

The article studies climate factors and their role in developing wind energy in the Ternopil region. As part of Ukraine’s ambitious goals to achieve climate neutrality and energy independence, significant attention is being directed toward renewable energy sources, particularly the expansion of wind farm networks. The Ternopil region has good potential for developing a network of wind farms, considering its climatic conditions, as the key factor in wind energy development is climate. This includes the average annual wind speed. For example, the climate of the Ternopil region is shaped by its geographical location, atmospheric circulation, altitude, and relief. In the northern part of the region, open-source data (Global Wind Atlas, RE Data Explorer) indicate that the average annual wind speed at the height of 100 meters exceeds 6 m/s. According to research by scientists at the Institute of Renewable Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the distribution of wind speeds at a height of 10 m for the Ternopil region varies from southwest to northeast. It is 2.9-3.3 m/s in the extreme southwest, 3.3-3.7 m/s in the central part, and 3.7-4.1 m/s in the extreme northeast. However, when planning wind farm construction, environmental restrictions must be considered, including the presence or proximity of protected natural areas, Emerald Network sites, coastal buffer zones, and residential areas near the proposed project sites. The article aims to geo-informationally analyze the climatic factors of wind energy development in the Ternopil region and identify potential restrictions for the activity. The scientific novelty lies in using GIS methods to analyze the average annual wind speed at 50 m and 100 m. The research results can be used to initiate and develop wind energy projects in the Ternopil region. In the future, the research results can be used by local communities to identify potential sites for wind projects while zoning the community’s territory and creating general plans for the territory. Keywords: renewable energy sources, wind energy, geoinformation analysis, climate, wind, Ternopil region