Shinoda Oji

Fundamental Study on Offshore Wind Power Generation in the Waters Surrounding Niigata Prefecture

Inukai Naoyuki


The coastal areas of Tainai City and the southern part of Murakami City in Niigata Prefecture were designated by the Japanese government in September 2021 as a promotion zone based on the Renewable Energy Sea Area Utilization Law, and efforts are underway to introduce implantable offshore wind turbines. In this study, the wind conditions in the northern part of Niigata Prefecture were assessed using MSM, wave estimation, and facility utilization calculations using Renewables.ninja to understand the power generation capacity and other conditions in the offshore area. Comparisons were also made with the promotion zones in other prefectures. From the findings obtained, the following conclusions were drawn. The feasibility of introducing offshore wind power generation in offshore areas other than the promotion zones off Murakami and Tainai City in Niigata Prefecture was examined. The northern Niigata Prefecture sea area had the lowest wind speeds compared to the other promotion zones. In the offshore area of Niigata Prefecture, the wind speed increases in winter, and high power generation efficiency is expected, but the decrease in wind speed in summer makes it difficult to generate stable power all year round. In the offshore areas of Niigata Prefecture, the most favorable conditions are in the offshore promotion area off Tainai City in Murakami City, while the areas off the coast of Niigata City and Seiro Town are expected to have the second highest power generation efficiency after the offshore promotion area off Tainai City in Murakami City. In the deep-water areas where floating offshore wind power generation facilities are being considered, it was found that there are areas in the northern part of Sado Island and the western part of Awashima Island where higher wind speeds and higher power generation efficiency than the offshore promotion area of Tainai City, Murakami City can be expected.