Grid connected wind farms as a solution for sustainable residential buildings' energy consumption: Review and potential of Saudi Arabia

The residential sector consumes a significant amount of the total energy generated in any country, and the demand for this sector continues to increase with the growth of the population. The reliance on fossil fuels and its adverse impact on the environment play an important role in the energy generation expansion decisions towards cleaner and efficient renewable energy resources, such as harnessing wind energy. Wind energy has proven to be a suitable energy source, provided that a proper site is selected. A detailed review of 133 governorates in 13 regions that have less than 100,000 dwellings is conducted based on the local meteorological data in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for the feasibility of harnessing wind energy. It has been found that harnessing wind energy in governorates such as Hafar Al Batin may save over 45% of its daily consumed energy, with a significant carbon dioxide reduction of about 248 kg per day. The findings of this work are significant for policymakers and the industrial sector in expansion plans for the country's power generation.