Current Status and Sustainable Utilization of Wind Energy Resources in Mexico: A Systematic Review
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors- Many data are involved for wind resources assessment. Explain how and where do you achieve these data for better convincement. It is also recommended to provide references on these data materials.
- The similar problem goes with the monthly mean wind data. Moreover, what time horizon is considered to compute the monthly mean data? A single year or few decades of data?
- The authors provide some current and ongoing projects, but what are the future plans? These plans are necessary to cover the challenges in wind energy utilization.
- In the discussed challenges and opportunities, many problems are caused by society and economy factors. However, as a research review, the technical problems must be involved. Also, how to solve these technical problems.
- This paper provides sufficient review in Mexico. Can the research provide global benefits, or can the research results be promoted to other areas?
Author Response
Comment 1: Many data are involved for wind resources assessment. Explain how and where do you achieve these data for better convincement. It is also recommended to provide references on these data materials.
Response: Thank you for this helpful suggestion. Following your advice, we have explained provided the main sources and references (Refs 33, 34, 35) of the data utilized in this study for wind resources assessment in Mexico (Figs 4-7).
Figure 4 shows offshore wind resource potential along Mexico’s coasts, with red areas indicating the highest energy density (>250 W/m²). Whereas, Fig. 5 displays the onshore mean wind velocity in Mexico. Key high-potential six zones include 1) Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Oaxaca), (2) Tamaulipas, (3) Nuevo Leon, (4) Coahuila, (5) Baja California, (6) Baja California Sur. These areas are ideal for offshore wind development due to strong and consistent wind patterns [33, 34], [35]. The color gradient helps identify regions suitable for large-scale renewable energy projects. From figure 4 and figure 5, it is possible to highlight some areas with great potential for the development of windy projects. The first one is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, located in the south of the country, near the Pacific Coast. This region has been of historical importance for wind projects in the country since the first wind farm in Mexico was installed in locations [33, 34], [35]. The North of the country also possesses a high potential for wind energy projects. The contiguous states of Tamaulipas (next to the Gulf of Mexico), Nuevo Leon and Coahuila have shown good potential since the 10% of the windiest areas of these states exhibit a mean Power Density over 300W/m2 and a mean Wind Speed over 6m/s [35].
- Eckstein, Johannes, Jose Antonio Ordonez, and Jakob Wachsmuth. "Decreasing Costs of Renewables: Implications for Mexico's Climate Targets." Working Paper Sustainability and Innovation, 2020.
- Villanueva, Héctor, Alfredo Peña, and Jens Carsten Hansen. "Wind Atlas for Mexico (Wam) Observational Wind Atlas." (2021).
- Atlas, G. W. "Global Wind Atlas Mexico." [Online]. Available: https://globalwindatlas.info/en/area/ Mexico (2024).
Windographer software open package is also adapted for providing monthly wind resource data across Mexi-co by processing time-series liberality from meteorological towers systems presented in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9.
Comment 2: The similar problem goes with the monthly mean wind data. Moreover, what time horizon is considered to compute the monthly mean data? A single year or few decades of data?
Response: Thank you very much for your suggestions. In the revised manuscript, we have added an explanation of this issue, which specifically mentions the main source of the monthly mean wind data and its time horizon.
Windo-Grapher is also adapted for providing monthly wind resource data across Mexico by processing time-series liberality from meteorological wind towers systems. It considers the time series of wind measurements, typically hourly data for one complete year from 1st January 2023 to 31th December 2023, taken from Ref. [31].
Comment 3: The authors provide some current and ongoing projects, but what are the future plans? These plans are necessary to cover the challenges in wind energy utilization.
Response: Thank you for pointing this out. We have carefully revised and critically discusses the future outlooks that required to tackle the challenges in wind energy utilization in the Mexican wind projects.
The future trends for wind energy implementation in Mexico require a multifaceted approach to tackle existing challenges. Firstly, regulatory stability and transparent energy policies are essential to attract sustained investment and reduce uncertainty in ongoing projects. Secondly, strengthening storage capacity and grid infrastructure might be critical to manage intermittency and reliably. integrate growing wind capacity. Thirdly, fostering local manufacturing and workforce development can reduce dependency on imports while promoting socioeconomic benefits. Fourthly, stronger community engagement strategies are needed to mitigate social resistance and ensure equitable distribution of project benefits. Finally, long-term success will depend on coupling wind projects with complementary renewable sources and digital technologies to maximize efficiency and resilience of Mexico’s energy transition.
Comment 4: In the discussed challenges and opportunities, many problems are caused by society and economy factors. However, as a research review, the technical problems must be involved. Also, how to solve these technical problems.
Response: The authors greatly appreciate your comment. Accordingly, a new section described and discussed the Future prospective of Mexican wind energy portfolio has been added based on the reviewer’s valuable comment.
- Future prospective of Mexican wind energy portfolio
Mexico’s wind energy sector holds remarkable potential, but its future success depends on overcoming persistent structural and socio-political challenges. The future trends for wind energy implementation in Mexico require a multifaceted approach to tackle existing challenges. Firstly, regulatory stability and transparent energy policies are essential to attract sustained investment and reduce uncertainty in ongoing projects. Secondly, strengthening storage capacity and grid infrastructure might be critical to manage intermittency and reliably. integrate growing wind capacity. Thirdly, fostering local manufacturing and workforce development can reduce dependency on imports while promoting socioeconomic benefits. Fourthly, stronger community engagement strategies are required to mitigate social resistance and ensure equitable distribution of project benefits. Finally, long-term success will depend on coupling wind projects with complementing other renewable energy systems and digital technologies to maximize efficiency and resilience of Mexico’s energy transition. From other social aspect, strengthening community engagement is essential, as mistrust arising from land disputes and unequal benefit distribution has fueled opposition in regions like Oaxaca. Future projects must ensure equitable economic returns, moving beyond elite capture toward fairer lease agreements and long-term local employment. Environmental concerns demand stricter enforcement of impact assessments and ecosystem-sensitive planning to minimize biodiversity loss and water resource stress. At the policy level, a consistent, transparent, and participatory regulatory framework is urgently needed to reduce uncertainty and depoliticize energy governance. Greater coordination across state, federal, and municipal institutions could reduce costly delays and accelerate project authorization. International investment and technology transfer might be vital, however only if accompanied by inclusive governance that addresses both indigenous rights and environmental stewardship.
Comment 5: This paper provides sufficient review in Mexico. Can the research provide global benefits, or can the research results be promoted to other areas?
Response: The authors greatly appreciate your comment. The global benefits have been carefullychecked in the revised manuscript accordingly.
Research on Mexico's wind energy portfolio provides insights with global relevance. Through a critical analysis of social conflicts, complex land rights, and unequal benefit distribution, the research highlights challenge proper to many emerging wind energy markets, particularly in areas with rural or indigenous communities. The findings on the need for transparent regulation, equitable economic participation, and strong environmental safeguards can contribute to shaping best practices in other developing economies. Thus, despite the specificity of the context, the lessons learned can be promoted internationally to guide more inclusive and sustainable wind energy development.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsIn this paper, it is conducted A systematic Review on Current Status and Sustainable Utilization of Wind Energy Resources in Mexico. This paper is well structured and easy to follow.
1) Fig. and Figure should be consistent;
2) Layout of Section 6 seems different from others;
3) “：”should be removed from title of Figure 8;
4) Format of references should be revised to fit the journal requirement.
Author Response
General Comment: In this paper, it is conducted A systematic Review on Current Status and Sustainable Utilization of Wind Energy Resources in Mexico. This paper is well structured and easy to follow.
Thank you very much for your constructive and insightful comments on our review manuscript [wind-3831181]. Your suggestions have significantly improved the quality, clarity and impact of our work. We have carefully addressed every point and revised the paper accordingly. Below is our point-by-point response.
Comment 1: Fig. and Figure should be consistent.
Response: Thank you for this helpful suggestion. Following your advice, we have unified figure consistency in the revised manuscript thoroughly.
Comment 2: Layout of Section 6 seems different from others
Response: Thank you very much for your suggestions. Layout of Section 6 has been carefully and became similar to the formatting other sections.
Comment 3: “：”should be removed from title of Figure 8
Response: Thank you for pointing this out. It has been checked.
Comment 4: Format of references should be revised to fit the journal requirement.
Response: The authors greatly appreciate your comment. Accordingly, the format of references has been updated according the MDPI guidelines
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors have presented a review study about Wind Energy Resources in Mexico.
Even when the theme is interesting, the novelty of this review is not adequately established.
Some documents, such as https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2011.05.009, https://doi.org/10.3390/en17081866, and https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-71345-6_17 have addresses sucesfully this topic.
The novelty contribution to the state of art is quite complex to justify when several reviews and deep studies have been developed in this sense.
About the manuscript, the abstract is longer than the word limit established in the instruction for authors.
The images are obtained from different sources, but there is not evidence of the permission from the sources to obtain these images (for example figures 1, 4, 5, and more).
The methodology presents a high restriction of the accuracy of the literature survey, mainly due to the limited access to the databases.
Also in figure 2, a typo error has been detected.
In PRISMA analysis, a preclassification is required to analyze after the use of some databases, the most repeated topics. Therefore in this case, there is a lack of information and procedures.
Also there is a hush restriction due to the wind conditions, limiting the study to the Oaxaca, mainly due to the good wind conditions, but the political constrictions of the zone. The conclusions may be biased due to the area studied and may not be representative of Mexico as a whole.
Author Response
Comment 1: The authors have presented a review study about Wind Energy Resources in Mexico. Even when the theme is interesting, the novelty of this review is not adequately established.
Response: Thanks for this valuable comments. We have also carefully clarified the research gap and main differences between the current study and the existing similar review studies. Moreover, the main novelties and contributions of this work has had been further clarified in the end of introduction Section as fellows;
1.2 Contributions and innovations of the current study
Over the last few years, Uncovering Mexico’s offshore wind potential is of strategic importance, as the country's geographic position enables it to serve as a key nearshoring energy provider—playing a vital role in supporting the sustainable energy demands of North America’s ongoing economic growth. However, Mexico has made limited progress in offshore wind policy development, initial studies—focused on areas like the Gulf of Mexico [21], Oaxaca’s coast [22], and Tehuantepec Gulf [23] have assessed production potential and LCOE. However, these efforts remain regional and lack a comprehensive evaluation of the country’s full offshore capacity, competitiveness, and deployment challenges. A precise assessment of Mexico’s offshore wind potential is essential to identify high-yield sites, guide technology selection suited to local conditions, inform effective policy and incentives, and ensure reliable grid integration for sustainable sector development. This review article explores the technical, environmental, and economic aspects of wind energy in five different climatic zones in Mexico, reviewing potential zones for wind energy development, with the focus on the key case studies, project examples, and performance metrics. Figure 2 presents a flowchart outlining the overall structure of the literature review conducted in this study. This pioneering research is to apply the PRISMA systematic survey method to Mexican wind energy portfolio, offering a national quantitative comparison of 68 core studies published between 2018 and 2024. It develops a “method–context” matching matrix, addressing a critical gap in cross-method comprehensive evaluation and identifies existing research gaps and provides concrete directions for future inquiry, along with practical recommendations tailored for policymakers, researchers, and industry practitioners. The main objectives of this study are listed as follows:
- To comprehensively assess Mexico’s onshore and offshore wind energy potential and delineate priority zones suitable for the technical deployment of wind turbines.
- To analyze existing literature on the current state of wind development in Mexico, with a focus on technological trends and exiting projects.
- To identify key barriers and propose strategic recommendations for the effective integration of wind energy into Mexico’s national energy system.
Comment 2: Some documents, such as https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2011.05.009, https://doi.org/10.3390/en17081866, and https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-71345-6_17 have addresses successfully this topic.
Response: The authors greatly appreciate this comment. Based on this valuable concern, the mentioned previous studies have been discussed in the revised manuscript (Page 3, Ref. 21 and Reg. 25). Moreover, the main differences between the current study and the existing mentioned studies have been discussed. In brief, the suggested documents by the reviewers introduced and summerized the latest developments and past technological advances on wind energy potential in Mexico over a period (2000–2018). While, the present study systematically explores the recent up to date advances (2018-2025) on the technical, environmental, and economic aspects of wind energy in five different climatic zones in Mexico, reviewing potential zones for wind energy development, with the focus on the key case studies, ongoing project, and wind power performance metrics. It also critically examines the key challenges and opportunities within Mexico’s wind energy portfolio, with a focus on social, economic, environmental, and regulatory dimensions that influence the sector’s development and long-term sustainability. The work adopts the PRISMA protocol to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the methodologies and critical factors influencing PRISMA systematic survey method to Mexican wind energy portfolio, which has not been studied or addressed in previous similar studies.
Comment 3: The novelty contribution to the state of art is quite complex to justify when several reviews and deep studies have been developed in this sense.
Response: Thanks for these valuable comments. We have also carefully clarified the research gap and main differences between the current study and the existing similar review studies. Moreover, the main novelties and contributions of this work has had been further clarified in the end of introduction Section as fellows;
1.2 Contributions and innovations of the current study
Over the last few years, Uncovering Mexico’s offshore wind potential is of strategic importance, as the country's geographic position enables it to serve as a key nearshoring energy provider—playing a vital role in supporting the sustainable energy demands of North America’s ongoing economic growth. However, Mexico has made limited progress in offshore wind policy development, initial studies—focused on areas like the Gulf of Mexico [21], Oaxaca’s coast [22], and Tehuantepec Gulf [23] have assessed production potential and LCOE. However, these efforts remain regional and lack a comprehensive evaluation of the country’s full offshore capacity, competitiveness, and deployment challenges. A precise assessment of Mexico’s offshore wind potential is essential to identify high-yield sites, guide technology selection suited to local conditions, inform effective policy and incentives, and ensure reliable grid integration for sustainable sector development. This review article explores the technical, environmental, and economic aspects of wind energy in five different climatic zones in Mexico, reviewing potential zones for wind energy development, with the focus on the key case studies, project examples, and performance metrics. Figure 2 presents a flowchart outlining the overall structure of the literature review conducted in this study. This pioneering research is to apply the PRISMA systematic survey method to Mexican wind energy portfolio, offering a national quantitative comparison of 68 core studies published between 2018 and 2024. It develops a “method–context” matching matrix, addressing a critical gap in cross-method comprehensive evaluation and identifies existing research gaps and provides concrete directions for future inquiry, along with practical recommendations tailored for policymakers, researchers, and industry practitioners. The main objectives of this study are listed as follows:
- To comprehensively assess Mexico’s onshore and offshore wind energy potential and delineate priority zones suitable for the technical deployment of wind turbines.
- To analyze existing literature on the current state of wind development in Mexico, with a focus on technological trends and exiting projects.
- To identify key barriers and propose strategic recommendations for the effective integration of wind energy into Mexico’s national energy system.
Comment 4: About the manuscript, the abstract is longer than the word limit established in the instruction for authors.
Response: The abstract section has been shortened and improved to critically indicated the key objectives of the study and reflect the main findings of the manuscript as well as aligns with the journal instruction for authors (200 words at maximum)
Mexico holds significant potential for wind energy development, owing to its strategic geographic location and extensive coastlines. This review article systematically explores the technical, environmental, and economic aspects of wind energy in five different climatic zones in Mexico, reviewing potential zones for wind energy development, with the focus on the key case studies, ongoing project, and wind power performance metrics. It also critically examines the key challenges and opportunities within Mexico’s wind energy portfolio, with a focus on social, economic, environmental, and regulatory dimensions that influence the sector’s development and long-term sustainability. The results indicate that Oaxaca leads Mexico’s onshore wind potential with a power density of 761 W/m², followed by strong resources in Tamaulipas and Baja California, where wind speeds exceed 6 m/s. For offshore wind potential, Isthmus of Tehuantepec demonstrates outstanding offshore potential, with wind power densities exceeding 1,000 W/m² and wind speeds above 8 m/s. Major challenges include inconsistent or unclear governmental policies regarding renewable energy incentives, regulatory uncertainties, and social resistance from local communities concerned about environmental impacts and land use. These obstacles underline the need for integrated, transparent policies and inclusive engagement strategies to carry out the full potential of wind energy in Mexico.
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Comment 5: The images are obtained from different sources, but there is not evidence of the permission from the sources to obtain these images (for example figures 1, 4, 5, and more).
Response: Thank you for your valuable comment. The following Table clarifies the main sources and permissions of all figures in the article as demonstrated:
|
Fig. |
Figure title |
Ref. |
Permission |
|
1 |
Figure 1 (a) Development of worldwide wind power installation; (b) Global in-stalled wind power capacity [14, 15]. |
Ref. [14, 15] |
Reproduced with permission ©Elsevier, 2025, License number 6006570423966 |
|
2 |
Flowchart of framework and organization of the literature research |
Totally created and initiated by the authors |
|
|
3 |
Figure 3. PRISMA flow diagram of the literature research |
Totally created and initiated by the authors |
|
|
4 |
Onshore wind power density distribution in Mexico: (1) Isthmus of TehuantEpec (Oaxaca), (2) Tamaulipas, (3) Nuevo Leon, (4) Coahuila, (5) Baja California, (6) Baja California Sur [34,35]. |
Ref. [34, 35] |
National wind distribution maps can generally be derived from Atlas websites without formal permission, as these resources are publicly available and intended for open use, provided the source is properly cited and any usage restrictions are respected |
|
5 |
Onshore mean wind velocity in Mexico: (1) Isthmus of TehuantEpec (Oaxaca), (2) Tamaulipas, (3) Nuevo Leon, (4) Coahuila, (5) Baja California, (6) BajaCalifornia Sur [34,35].
|
Ref. [34, 35] |
National wind distribution maps can generally be derived from Atlas websites without formal permission, as these resources are publicly available and intended for open use, provided the source is properly cited and any usage restrictions are respected |
|
6 |
Offshore wind power density distribution in Mexico: ((1) Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Oaxaca), (2) Tamaulipas, (3) Baja California, (4) Yucatan Peninsula, (5) Veracruz [34,35]. |
Ref. [34, 35] |
National wind distribution maps can generally be derived from Atlas websites without formal permission, as these resources are publicly available and intended for open use, provided the source is properly cited and any usage restrictions are respected |
|
7 |
Onshore mean wind velocity in Mexico: (1) Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Oaxaca), (2) Tamaulipas, (3) Baja California, (4) Yucatan Peninsula, (5) Veracruz [34,35]. |
Ref. [34, 35] |
National wind distribution maps can generally be derived from Atlas websites without formal permission, as these resources are publicly available and intended for open use, provided the source is properly cited and any usage restrictions are respected |
|
8 |
(a) Mean Wind Speed (MWS), (b) Mean Power Density (MPD) for the selected offshore wind sites.
|
As mentioned in the article, The average monthly wind data generated by the authors through Windographer online software does not typically require separate permission, as the tool is designed to process publicly available. |
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|
9 |
(a) Monthly mean wind speed (MMWS); (b) Hourly mean wind speed for Isthmus of Tehuatepec (Oaxaca) offshore wind zone. |
As mentioned in the article, The average monthly wind data generated by the authors through Windographer online software does not typically require separate permission, as the tool is designed to process publicly available. |
|
Comment 6: The methodology presents a high restriction of the accuracy of the literature survey, mainly due to the limited access to the databases.
Response: We sincerely thank the reviewer for the valuable suggestion. In response, regarding the restrictions related to the PRISMA methodology. The authors declare that the limitations in the literature are not primarily due to restricted access to databases, but rather to the scarcity of research studies specifically addressing the opportunities and potential of wind energy assessment in Mexico. While PRISMA offers a rigorous and transparent framework for systematic reviews, its accuracy in this context is naturally constrained by the limited body of available literature.
Comment 7: Also in figure 2, a typo error has been detected
Response: Thank you very much for your suggestion. The errors in Figure 2 have been corrected.
Figure 2. Flowchart of framework and organization of the literature research.
Comment 8: In PRISMA analysis, a preclassification is required to analyze after the use of some databases, the most repeated topics. Therefore, in this case, there is a lack of information and procedures.
Response: Thank you for your suggestions. In the revised manuscript, we have added a deeper discussion of the database pre-classification utilized in the PRISMA analysis according to the reviewer advice.
Considering the PRISMA methodology, the in-depth preliminary classification phase immediately after the retrieval of records from the selected databases is a crucial step in constructing the review. It organizes studies thematically according to recurring themes and research areas, reducing overlap and duplication and enhancing analytical clarity. Because wind energy research typically spans technical, environmental, social, political, and economical aspects. This a priori classification enables the identification of the most widely discussed themes and an assessment of their relative presence within the literature. By grouping works under these recurring themes, the review gains greater depth and coherence, resulting in a concluding synthesis that is not only comprehensive but also reveals prevailing trends, methodological preferences, and knowledge gaps. This enhances the review's credibility, as it goes beyond a narrowing down of eligible studies to a more accurate reading of research patterns in this Mexican national mission.
Comment 9: Also there is a hush restriction due to the wind conditions, limiting the study to the Oaxaca, mainly due to the good wind conditions, but the political constrictions of the zone. The conclusions may be biased due to the area studied and may not be representative of Mexico as a whole.
Response: Thank you for your constructive suggestions. This issue has been clearly explained in the revised manuscript accordingly.
The available data warrant emphasizes that the positioning of wind potential in Oaxaca is a direct result of the uniqueness of its wind system. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec records average wind speeds exceeding 8–10 m/s, accompanied by higher capacity factors than the rest of Mexico. This technical superiority has led to the state being prioritized by industry and academia as a preferred research and development arena. However, this geographic concentration may lead to biased interpretation and evaluation. Political, social, and regulatory factors in Oaxaca—from land tenure disputes, community acceptance, and political uncertainty might constrain scalability and limit the generalizability of results to the rest of the country. Accordingly, our study treats Oaxaca as a “reference case” that simultaneously reveals the technical opportunities and governance challenges inherent in large-scale wind energy deployment, rather than as the sole representative of Mexico’s wind potential. The results from this region are therefore read as a comparative and normative framework, rather than as a substitute for existing regional variations.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper can be accepted.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThank you for addressing the changes and clarify the different points, both in the manuscript and in the responses' document.
