GEOGRAPHICAL ASSESSMENT OF WIND ENERGY POTENTIAL IN KHIZI DISTRICT: TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Abstract. The article is devoted to the study of the possibilities of using the wind resources of the Khizi region in energy production. The study emphasizes territorial geographic characteristics and resource availability as primary determinants for power plant siting. The research database is based on the analysis of information obtained from various sources, such as measure-ments of meteorological stations, the Global Wind Atlas, and NASA Power data. The wind energy potential of the region was assessed based on meteorological indicators, and prospective areas were identified using GIS, taking into account factors such as land use, environmental impact, and energy demand. The collected data was processed using mathematical models, GIS analyses, economic analyses, and cartographic methods. Op-timal areas for the construction of wind power plants (WPP) were identified based on the main wind parameters, including average wind speed, wind direction, and seasonal wind regime, which reflects long-term va-riability and intra-annual fluctuations. As a result, the wind energy potential of the Khizi region was assessed using GIS-based microzoning and 1981–2022 of meteorological data. The selected location covers an area of 250 km², and 20 deployment zones with 40 turbines can be built in this field. The potential wind energy production in the area is possible to be 295.7 GWh, which could contribute 12% to Azerbaijan’s 2030 renewable energy targets.