Wind potential in Argentina, situation and prospects

Abstract

Patagonia Region in Argentina has one of the best wind characteristics of the world. From 1980 there were local motivation, from Governmental Investments to Privates ones. During the 1990s there was an expansion of energy production investments from non renewable energy fuels which stopped in 1999. The energy needs due to demand rise changes from 300MW per year (1999) to 800MW per year (2006). Since 2005 there have been motivation from different private companies including oil ones, to produce electricity from wind energy. This work describes the wind potential in Patagonia in three aspects: meteorological wind potential, technological one based on technical availabilities in Argentina, and business potential for wind energy investments. Also this work intends to show an approach for the present and actual figures on these upper aspects.