Wind power cost assessment at twenty locations in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has vast open land and hence has great potential of harnessing solar and wind energy sources for domestic and industrial use. This study proposes to assess wind power cost per kWh of electricity produced using three types of wind electric conversion systems at 20 locations within the Kingdom. These sites cover the eastern, central, and western regions. Hourly values of wind speed recorded for periods of 5.5–13 years (between 1970–1982, in most cases) were used for all 20 locations. Wind duration curves were developed and utilized to calculate the cost per kWh of electricity generated from three chosen wind-machines.     

Assessment of wind energy potential for selected areas in Jordan

This paper presents a technical assessment of wind power potential for seven locations in Jordan using statistical analysis to determine the wind characteristic based on the measured wind data. Rayleigh distribution is used to model the monthly average data and used to estimate the wind power in the selected locations. Energy calculations, capacity factors and cost of wind energy production were determined for the selected locations with wind machines of different sizes ranging between 1.65 MW and 3 MW. The quantitative estimates of the technical and economic potential are presented graphically. Rayleigh parameter is adjusted to the hub height using one seventh power law to estimate the power output of the machine. The energy cost analyses show that all selected sites have high economic potential with unit cost less than $0.04/kWh of electricity. The lowest unit cost per kWh is obtained by using GE 2.5 MW at Tafila site. Finally, the results of this study reveal that Jordan has high potential wind energy and its environmental and energy policy targets can be met by exploitation wind energy.     

The potential of wind electricity generation in Bangladesh

The hourly wind speed data of the coastal station Chittagong have been collected for the years 1978–1981. From the hourly average wind speed, the hourly and monthly energy outputs were computed for three commercial machines (22 kW, 16 kW and 4 kW) having different cut-in wind speed. The 22 kW machine was found to produce higher energy output per m² than the other two for our energy regime. The hourly and monthly energy variation of the 22 kW machine was studied and the cost per kWh of energy produced by this machine was obtained. Considering the wind speed distribution of Bangladesh, it appears that a wind machine in combination with a conventional diesel back up system will be economically viable for electricity generation in the off-shore islands but not in inland locations.     

Viability and economic analysis of wind energy resource for power generation in Johannesburg,South Africa

In this study, wind characteristics and wind power potential of Johannesburg are investigated using 5-min average time series wind speed collected between 2005 and 2009 at anemometer height of 10 m. The statistical distribution that best fits the empirical wind speed data at the site of study is first determined based on the coefficient of determination and root mean square error criteria. The statistical parameters and wind power density based on this model are estimated for different months of the year using standard deviation method. Economic analyses of some wind turbines are also carried out. Some of the key results show that the site is only suitable for small wind turbines in a standalone application. A 10 kW wind turbine with cut-in wind speed of 3.5 m/s, rated wind speed of 9 m/s, and cut-out wind speed of 25 m/s seems most appropriate in Johannesburg with the lowest cost that varies from 0.25 to 0.33 $/kWh.     

Evaluation of hydrogen production from harvesting wind energy at high altitudes in Iran by three extrapolating Weibull methods

One of the most appropriate ways for energy storage is producing hydrogen from renewable resources. Wind energy is recognized as one of the widely used renewable energy resources. This paper investigates the use of wind energy for producing hydrogen in Iran. To achieve this, the country is divided into five major regions: center, north, south, east and west. The performance of three large-scale commercial wind turbines, ranging from 1500 kW to 3000 kW at hub height of 80 m and four large-scale wind turbine ranging from 2000 kW to 4500 kW at hub height of 120 m are evaluated for producing hydrogen in 150 wind stations in Iran. All wind data were recorded based on 10-min time intervals for more than one year at different wind mast heights. For estimating Weibull parameters, the Standard Deviation Method (SDM), Empirical Method of Lysen (EML) and Power Density Method (PDM) are used. An extrapolation method is used to determine the shape and the scale parameters of the Weibull distribution at the high attitudes of 80 m and 120 m. Then, power law and surface roughness exponents, capacity factor, annual energy production and annual hydrogen production for the wind sites are determined. The results indicate that rated power is not the only determinative parameter and the highest hydrogen production is from the GW-109/2500 wind turbine at the hub height of 80 m and from E112/4500 at the hub height of 120 m. For better assessment, the amount of hydrogen production is depicted in Geographic Information Science (GIS) maps using power production of the seven wind turbine models. Next by analyzing these GIS maps, it is found that there are significant potentials in north, north-west, east and south of Iran for producing hydrogen from wind energy.     

Hybrid systems for decentralized power generation in Oman

The main objective of this study is to determine the optimum size of systems able to fulfil the electrical energy requirements of remote sites located in Hajer Bani (HB) Hameed in the North of Oman, Masirah Island and the Mothorah area in the South of Oman. The methodology applied provides a useful and simple approach for sizing and analysing the hybrid systems using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER). The aim is to identify a configuration among a set of systems that meet the desired system reliability requirements with the lowest energy cost. The results of the analysis are a list of feasible power supply systems, classified according to their net present cost. Actual hourly load data are taken from these sites and are used in the model, and the meteorological readings are used either from the same site or from a nearby one. A comparison between the costs of electricity generated from renewable energy resources in these locations is done and the payback period for renewable energy components is calculated. Moreover, the effects of the temperature on the photovoltaic cells efficiency and energy cost are considered. The cost of energy was found to be 0.206, 0.361 and 0.327 $/kWh for Masirah Island, Mothorah and HB Hameed, respectively.     

Evaluation of electricity generation and energy cost of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) in Central Turkey

The negative effects of non-renewable fossil fuels have forced scientists to draw attention to clean energy sources which are both environmentally more suitable and renewable. Although Turkey enjoys fairly high wind energy potential, an investigation and exploitation of this source is still below the desired level. In this study which is a preliminary study on wind energy cost in Central Anatolian-Turkey, the wind energy production using time-series approach and the economic evaluation of various wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) enjoying the 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 and 150 kW rated power size using the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) method for the seven different locations in Central Turkey were estimated. In addition, effects of escalation ratio of operation and maintenance cost and annual mean speed on LCOE are taken into account. The wind speed data for a period between 2000 and 2006 years were taken from Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS). According to the result of the calculations, it is shown that the WECS of capacity 150 kW produce the energy output 120,978 kWh per year in the Case-A (Pinarbasi) for hub height 30 m and also the LCOE varies in the range of 0.29–30.0 $/kWh for all WECS considered.     

Assessment of centralized grid connected wind power cost in coastal area of Pakistan

This work presents an assessment of per unit cost of electricity generated from 15 MW wind farm at 40 locations in the coastal areas of Pakistan using the method of net present value analysis. The Nordex N43/600 wind turbine has been selected and used as reference wind turbine. Wind duration curves were developed and utilized to calculate per unit cost of electricity generated from chosen wind turbine. In Sindh province, the minimum cost of electricity generated was found to be 4.2 ¢/kWh at Jamshoro, while the corresponding maximum was 7.4 ¢/kWh at Kadhan site. In Balochistan, the minimum cost of electricity generated was found to be 6.3 ¢/kWh at Aghore, while the corresponding maximum was 21.0 ¢/kWh at Mand site. The study concludes that at most of the locations especially in Sindh province, wind power is competitive to conventional grid connected thermal power even without considering the externalities.     

Two strategies for multi-objective optimisation of solid oxide fuel cell stacks

This paper focuses on multi-objective optimisation (MOO) to optimise the planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks performance using a genetic algorithm. MOO problem does not have a single solution, but a complete Pareto curve, which involves the optional representation of possible compromise solutions. Here, two pairs of different objectives are considered as distinguished strategies. Optimisation of the first strategy predicts a maximum power output of 108.33 kW at a breakeven per-unit energy cost of 0.51 $/kWh and minimum breakeven per-unit energy cost of 0.30 $/kWh at a power of 42.18 kW. In the second strategy, maximum efficiency of 63.93%at a breakeven per-unit energy cost of 0.42 $/kWh is predicted, while minimum breakeven per-unit energy cost of 0.25 $/kWh at efficiency of 48.3% is obtained. The present study creates the basis for selecting optimal operating conditions of SOFC under the face of multiple conflicting objectives.     

Economic feasibility of large community feed-in tariff-eligible wind energy production in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia, Canada's community feed-in tariff (COMFIT) scheme is the world's first feed-in tariff program specifically targeting locally-based renewable energy projects. This study investigated selected turbine capacities to optimize electricity production, based on actual wind profiles for three sites in Nova Scotia, Canada (i.e., Sydney, Caribou Point, and Greenwood). The turbine capacities evaluated are also eligible under the current COMFIT-large scheme in Nova Scotia, including 100 kW, 900 kW and 2.0 MW turbines. A capital budgeting model was developed and then used to evaluate investment decisions on wind power production. Wind duration curves suggest that Caribou Point had the highest average wind speeds but for shorter durations. By comparison, Sydney and Greenwood had lower average wind speeds but with longer durations. Electricity production cost was lowest for the 2.0 MW turbine in Caribou Point ($0.07 per kWh), and highest for the 100 kW turbine located in Greenwood ($0.49 per kWh). The most financially viable wind power project was the 2.0 MW turbine assumed to operate at 80 m hub height in Caribou Point, with NPV=$251,586, and BCR=1.51. Wind power production for the remaining two sites was generally not financially feasible for the turbine capacities considered. The impact of promoting local economic development from wind power projects was higher in a scenario under which wind turbines were clustered at a single site with the highest wind resources than generating a similar level of electricity by distributing the wind turbines across multiple locations.     

Impact of battery storage on economics of hybrid wind‐diesel power systems in commercial applications in hot regions

Integration of wind machines and battery storage with the diesel plants is pursued widely to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of battery storage on the economics of hybrid wind‐diesel power systems in commercial applications by analyzing wind‐speed data of Dhahran, East‐Coast, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A.). The annual load of a typical commercial building is 620,000 kWh. The monthly average wind speeds range from 3.3 to 5.6 m/s. The hybrid systems simulated consist of different combinations of 100‐kW commercial wind machines (CWMs) supplemented with battery storage and diesel generators. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) (HOMER Energy's) Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software has been employed to perform the economic analysis. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system comprising of 100‐kW wind capacity together with 175‐kW diesel system and a battery storage of 4 h of autonomy (i.e. 4 h of average load), the wind penetration (at 37‐m hub height, with 0% annual capacity shortage) is 25%. The cost of generating energy (COE, $/kWh) from this hybrid wind–battery–diesel system has been found to be 0.139 $/kWh (assuming diesel fuel price of 0.1$/L). The investigation examines the effect of wind/battery penetration on: COE, operational hours of diesel gensets. Emphasis has also been placed on un‐met load, excess electricity, fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (for wind–diesel without battery storage, wind–diesel with storage, as compared to diesel‐only situation), cost of wind–battery–diesel systems, COE of different hybrid systems, etc. The study addresses benefits of incorporation of short‐term battery storage (in wind–diesel systems) in terms of fuel savings, diesel operation time, carbon emissions, and excess energy. The percentage fuel savings by using above hybrid system is 27% as compared to diesel‐only situation Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Economic perspective of PV electricity in Oman

Solar and wind energies are likely to play an important role in the future energy generation in Oman. This paper utilizes average daily global solar radiation and sunshine duration data of 25 locations in Oman to study the economic prospects of solar energy. The study considers a solar PV power plant of 5-MW at each of the 25 locations. The global solar radiation varies between slightly greater than 4 kWh/m²/day at Sur to about 6 kWh/m²/day at Marmul while the average value in the 25 locations is more than 5 kWh/m²/day. The results show that the renewable energy produced each year from the PV power plant varies between 9000 MWh at Marmul and 6200 MWh at Sur while the mean value is 7700 MWh of all the 25 locations. The capacity factor of PV plant varies between 20% and 14% and the cost of electricity varies between 210 US$/MWh and 304 US$/MWh for the best location to the least attractive location, respectively. The study has also found that the PV energy at the best location is competitive with diesel generation without including the externality costs of diesel. Renewable energy support policies that can be implemented in Oman are also discussed.     

Economics of Wind turbine as an energy fuel saver – A case study for remote application in oman

This paper presents a study carried out to investigate the economics of wind turbine as an energy fuel saver. The load and the wind data is taken from a remote agricultural research station in Oman. Presently, the station is provided with electricity from diesel-engine generating units. The annual peak load and minimum load recorded at the site is 130 kW and 28 kW respectively. The annual average wind speed at the site is 5.7 m/s. A 50-kW wind turbine is selected to demonstrate the economic feasibility of the turbine as a fuel saver. The results show that wind energy utilization is an attractive option with total specific cost of the selected wind turbine ranges between 7.4 and 8.45 ¢/kWh at 7.55% discount rate comparing to diesel generation operating cost of 14.3 ¢/kWh, considering the capital cost of diesel units as sunk. The simple payback period of the turbine is between 5.1 and 5.4 years and discounted payback between 6.7 and 8.0 years.     

Techno-economics of small wind electric generator projects for decentralized power supply in India

A techno-economic evaluation of small wind electric generator (SWEG) projects for providing decentralized power supply in remote locations in India is presented. SWEG projects that have either been implemented or are under implementation have been considered. The capital costs of the SWEG projects and sub-systems have been analysed. Levelised unit cost of electricity (LUCE) has been estimated for 19 select places located in different geographical regions of the country. The LUCE is found to vary in the range of Rs. 4.67–83.02/kWh (US$¹ 0.10–1.86/kWh) for wind electric generator projects in the capacity range 3.2–50 kW with annual mean wind speed variation in the range 5–10 m/s. Issues relating to their environmental impact(s), barriers to diffusion and institutional mechanism(s) to implement such projects have also been discussed.     

Electricity tariffs based on long-run marginal costs for central grid system of Oman

The electricity tariffs in Oman are subsidized and are based on a cost accounting approach and do not reflect the true cost incurred in generating, transmitting and distributing a kilowatt-hour of electricity at the consumer end. This paper presents the electricity tariff based on the estimation of long-run marginal cost at generation, 33 kV, and 415 voltage level for Ministry of Housing, Electricity & Water (MHEW) interconnected power system of Oman. The result shows that at the generation level a marginal kW costs US$ 75 per year and a marginal kWh costs 2.07 ¢/kWh. These costs increase as we move downstream from generation to consumer end. The average cost of electricity at the consumer end connected at 415 V is 6.52 ¢/kWh or 25.17 Bz/kWh.     

Hybrid (solar and wind) energy system for Al Hallaniyat Island electrification

Wind–PV–diesel hybrid power generation system technology is a promising energy option since it provides opportunities for developed and developing countries to harness naturally available, inexhaustible and pollution-less resources. The aim of this study is to assess the techno-economic feasibility of utilizing a hybrid wind–PV–diesel power system to meet the load of Al Hallaniyat Island. Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables software has been employed to carry out the present study. The simulation results indicate that the cost of generating energy (COE) is $0.222 kWh^?1 for a hybrid system composed of a 70 kW PV system, 60 kW wind turbine and batteries together with a 324.8 kW diesel system. Moreover, using the same system but without batteries will increase the COE to $0.225 kWh^?1, the fuel consumption, the excess energy and the total operating hours for the diesel generators. The PV–wind hybrid option is techno-economically viable for rural electrification.     

The potential of electricity generation on the east coast of Red Sea in Egypt

Wind characteristics have been analyzed based on long-term measured data of monthly mean wind speed of seven meteorological stations along the east coast of Red Sea in Egypt. It was found that the windiest stations (Region A) namely (Zafarana, Abu Darag, Hurghada and Ras Benas) have annual mean wind speeds (7.3, 7.2, 6.4 and 5.5 m/s) at 10 m height, respectively.Numerical estimations using measured wind speeds and frequencies to calculate the two Weibull parameters were carried out and two methods were applied.The methodical analysis for the corrected monthly wind power density at a height of 10 m above ground level, over roughness class 0 (water), for each station was done. The recommended correlation equation was also stated for Red Sea zone in Egypt. Also the corrected annual wind power density at the heights (50–70) m was obtained for all stations. Moreover, calculations show that the four stations in (Region A) have a huge energy potential available (430–1000 W/m²) at 70 m height, while Quseir and Suez stations (Region B) have good wind power density (170–190 W/m²) at 50 m height.A technical and economic assessment has been made of electricity generation from two turbines machines having capacity of (1000 and 600 kW) considered in Regions A & B, respectively, using WASP program. The yearly energy output, capacity factor and the electrical energy cost of kWh produced by the two different turbines in each region were estimated. The production costs of four stations in Region A was found to be less than 2€ cent/kWh and compared with retail tariff.     

Investigation of wind energy potentials in Brunei Darussalam

Conventional power generation mainly depends on natural gas and diesel oil in Brunei Darussalam. The power utility company is now thinking of power generation using natural wind. In this paper, wind energy, being one of the most readily available renewable energy sources, was studied. The wind characteristic, velocity and directions were studied using Weibull distribution based on the measurement of wind speed at two different locations in Brunei Darussalam. These wind speed distributions were modeled using the Wind Power program. The wind rose graph was obtained for the wind direction to analyze the wind power density onshore and offshore. Based on this analysis, it has been found that the wind speed of 3 to 5 m/s has a probability of occurrence of 40%. Besides, the annual energy production at a wind speed of 5 m/s has been found to be in the range between 1000 and 1500 kWh for both the locations in Brunei Darussalam.     

Assessment of windfarm economics in relation to site wind resources applied to sites in Jordan

This paper describes an analytical method for estimation of the economical feasibility of a project for wind energy utilization in Jordan. The method is applied to a windfarm and is based on the wind speed distribution at the site considered and on the financial parameters for the complete plant and its running costs. For this method, equations were derived to calculate the cost of a kWh generated by wind turbines with different characteristics as a function of the capital investment per kW installed capacity. The method was applied to the sites at which Royal Scientific Society performs wind speed measurements, and the results indicate that some of these sites are well suited for cost efficient generation of electricity by wind energy. The results also show that a wind tribine which is designed to have a relatively low rated speed has a wider range of economical operation than a wind turbine with a higher rated speed for the sites investigated assuming that the maximum rated power for all for the wind turbines is held constant.     

Prospects of wind farm development in Saudi Arabia

This paper presents the energy output of wind farms in terms of unadjusted energy, gross energy, renewable energy delivered, specific yield and wind farm capacity factor. The analysis also includes the comparison of energy output from two methods: (i) the RETScreen model and (ii) the actual frequency and wind turbine power curve. The energy output analysis is done using three wind energy conversion systems of rated capacity 600, 1000, and 1500 kW. The study is performed for 30 MW installed capacity wind farms at five coastal locations in Saudi Arabia.Furthermore, the RETScreen software is also used to perform the economical feasibility study of the wind farms at these locations. The study concludes that of the five wind parks, Yanbo and Dhahran are the only two sites where wind park development is economically feasible. Finally, wind park development at Yanbo will result in a reduction in greenhouse gases of 31369, 23601, and 26087 tons each year, corresponding to 1500, 1000, and 600 kW machine wind parks, respectively. On the other hand, at Dhahran, installation of wind machines of 1500, 1000, and 600 kW sizes will reduce the GHGs by 26183, 19247, and 21533 tons per year.