Determining Weibull distribution patterns for wind conditions in building energy-efficient design across the different thermal design zones in China

To establish Weibull distribution patterns for outdoor wind speed (WS) over an extended time period and determine wind conditions for building energy-efficient design, this study collected daily WS data from 381 cities spanning all thermal design zones in China. Weibull distribution shape and scale parameters were estimated using three methods: Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), Graphical Method (GM), and Method of Moments (MM). A comprehensive goodness-of-fit assessment of these methods revealed that GM and MLM exhibited superior performance, making them suitable for determining Weibull parameters in the summer, winter, and the entire year. Through a rigorous examination and evaluation of the shape and scale parameters within each subzone across the summer, winter, and the entire year periods, the study identified the Rayleigh distribution as the typical pattern for low WS in building energy-efficient design. The determined Weibull distribution patterns can serve as fundamental information for wind inlet in assessing climate potential, WS in Outdoor Climate Design Conditions, and wind information in Typical Meteorological Year. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.