Wind power analysis and site matching of wind turbine generators in Kingdom of Bahrain

In this paper, the hourly measured wind speed data for years 2003–2005 at 10 m, 30 m and 60 m height for Kingdom of Bahrain have been statically analyzed to determine the potential of wind power generation. Extrapolation of the 10 m data, using the Power Law, has been used to determine the wind data at heights of 30 m and 60 m. Weibull distribution parameters have been estimated and compared annually and on monthly bases using two methods; the graphical method and the another method, designated in this paper as approximated method, which depends on the standard deviation and average wind speed. The maximum power density for 10 m, 30 m and 60 m heights were found to be 164.33 W/m², 624.17 W/m² and 1171.18 W/m² in February, respectively while the minimum power density were 65.33 W/m², 244.33 W/m² and 454.53 W/m² in October, respectively. The average annual wind power density was found to be 114.54 W/m² for 10 m height, 433.29 W/m² for 30 m height and 816.70 W/m² for 60 m height. Weibull probability function, using Weibull parameters estimated from the approximated method, has shown to provide more accurate prediction of average wind speed and average power density than the graphical method. In addition, the site matching of wind turbine generators at 30 m and 60 m heights has been investigated by estimating the capacity factors of various commercially available wind turbines generators. The monthly and annual variation of capacity factors have been studied to ensure optimum selection of wind turbine generators.     

An evaluation of wind energy potential at Kati Bandar,Pakistan

As a developing nation of energy-starved people, Pakistan urgently needs new sources of affordable, clean energy. Wind energy is potentially attractive because of its low environmental impact and sustainability. This work aims to investigate the wind power production potential of sites in south-eastern Pakistan. Wind speed data measured over a one-year period at a typical site on the south-east coast of Pakistan are presented. Frequency distributions of wind speed and wind power densities at three heights, seasonal variations of speed, and estimates of power likely to be produced by commercial turbines are included. The site investigated is found to be a class 4 wind power site with annual average wind speed of 7.16 m/s and power density of 414 W/m² at 50 m height. The site is, therefore, likely to be suitable for wind farms as well as small, stand-alone systems.     

Investigation of wind characteristics and assessment of wind energy potential for Waterloo region,Canada

Wind energy becomes more and more attractive as one of the clean renewable energy resources. Knowledge of the wind characteristics is of great importance in the exploitation of wind energy resources for a site. It is essential in designing or selecting a wind energy conversion system for any application. This study examines the wind characteristics for the Waterloo region in Canada based on a data source measured at an elevation 10 m above the ground level over a 5-year period (1999–2003) with the emphasis on the suitability for wind energy technology applications. Characteristics such as annual, seasonal, monthly and diurnal wind speed variations and wind direction variations are examined. Wind speed data reveal that the windy months in Waterloo are from November to April, defined as the Cold Season in this study, with February being the windiest month. It is helpful that the high heating demand in the Cold Season coincides with the windy season. Analysis shows that the day time is the windy time, with 2 p.m. in the afternoon being the windiest moment. Moreover, a model derived from the maximum entropy principle (MEP) is applied to determine the diurnal, monthly, seasonal and yearly wind speed frequency distributions, and the corresponding Lagrangian parameters are determined. Based on these wind speed distributions, this study quantifies the available wind energy potential to provide practical information for the application of wind energy in this area. The yearly average wind power density is 105 W/m². The day and night time wind power density in the Cold Season is 180 and 111 W/m², respectively.     

Wind speed and wind energy potential of Jordan

Routine wind data from 11 stations in Jordan have been analysed. Monthly average, and seasonal wind speed and average power density distributions were determined for each station. The monthly average wind speed for the two most potential sites Ras Muneef (RA) and Mafraq (MF) ranged from 3.0 to 7.4 m/sec and the average power density for these two sites ranged from 110 to 370 W/m² at RA and from 105 to 470 W/m² at MF. An application of wind power as supplementary power supply is suggested and cost analysis is given.     

Evaluating the performance of wind turbines in selected locations in Oyo state,Nigeria

The wind speed distribution and wind energy potential are investigated in three selected locations in Oyo state using wind speed data that span between 12 and 20 years measured at 10 m height. In addition, the performance of selected small to medium size wind turbines in these sites were examined. The annual energy output and capacity factor for these turbines were determined. It was found that the monthly mean wind speeds in Oyo state ranges from 2.85 m/s to 5.20 m/s. While the monthly mean power density varies between 27.08 W/m² and 164.48 W/m², while the annual mean power density is in the range of 67.28 W/m² and 106.60 W/m². Based on annual energy output, wind turbines with cut-in wind speed of about 2.5 m/s and moderate rated wind speeds will be best suited for all the sites.     

A pre-feasibility study of wind resources in Kutubdia Island, Bangladesh

Kutubdia is one of the coastal islands in Bangladesh. The wind speed data at the wind monitoring station of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Kutubdia, located in a built-up area, appears to be low, but at another location, near the seashore, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) finds that the wind energy availability should be reasonably high. Considering the surface roughness, obstacle condition and terrain information of the island, a micro-scale prediction has been done using (100×100 m²) grid cells in the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP) to develop monthly and annual wind atlas and also a wind resource map which shows that at 50 m height, the annual wind speed over Kutubdia coast varies from 5.1 to 5.8 m/s. Southern and Eastern sides of Kutubdia appear to be promising for wind electricity generation using large turbines where wind power density at a height of 50 m or higher is found to be above 200 W/m² annually over the year September 1996 to August 1997. It is found that at 30 m height, the coast side of Kutubdia should be sustainable for small turbines.     

Assessment of wind energy potential of two sites in North-East,Nigeria

The study is used to assess the wind energy potential of Maiduguri and Potiskum, two sites in North-East, Nigeria. 21 years (1987–2007) monthly mean wind data at 10 m height were assessed from the Nigeria Meteorological department and subjected to 2-parameter Weibull and other statistical analyzes. The result showed that average monthly mean wind speed variation for Potiskum ranged from 3.90 to 5.85 m/s, while for Maiduguri, it ranged from 4.35 to 6.33 m/s. Seasonally, data variation between the dry and wet seasons revealed that, the mean wind speed variation for Potiskum ranged from 4.46 (for dry) to 5.16 m/s (for wet), while for Maiduguri it ranged from 5.10 (dry) to 5.59 m/s (wet). The wind power density variation based on the Weibull analysis ranged from 102.54 to 300.15 W/m² for Potiskum and it ranged from 114.77 to 360.04 W/m² for Maiduguri respectively. Moreover, Maiduguri was found to be the better of the sites in terms of monthly and seasonal variation of mean wind speed, but they both can be suitable for stand alone and medium scale wind power generation.     

Wind characteristics and wind energy potential in Morocco

The wind characteristics of 11 sites in the windy regions in Morocco have been analysed. The annual average wind speed for the considered sites ranged from 5 m/s to 10 m/s and the average power density from 100 W/m² to 1000 W/m², which might be suitable for electrical power production by installing wind farms. On an annual scale the observations of the distribution of hourly wind speed are better fitted by the Weibull hybrid distribution in contrast to the Weibull distribution.The wind power is estimated to be 1817 MW, that is to say, the exploitable wind energy is 15198 GWh, which represents theoretically 11% of the total consumed energy in Morocco in 1994.     

Wind resource evaluation in six selected high altitude locations in Nigeria

This paper presents an assessment of wind energy potentials of six selected high altitude locations within the North-West and North-East geopolitical regions, Nigeria, by using 36-year (1971–2007) wind speed data subjected to 2-parameter Weibull distribution functions. The results showed that the maximum mean wind speed is obtained in Katsina as 9.839 m/s while the minimum value of 3.397 m/s is got in Kaduna for all the locations considered. The annual wind power density and energy variation based on the Weibull analysis ranged from 368.92 W/m² and 3224.45 kWh/m²/year to 103.14 W/m² and 901.75 kWh/m²/year in Kano and Potiskum for the maximum and minimum values respectively. Furthermore, Katsina and Kano will be suitable for wind turbine installations while Gusau will only be appropriate for wind energy utilization using taller wind turbine towers whereas Kaduna, Bauchi and Potiskum will be considered marginal for wind power development based of their respective annual mean wind speeds and power densities.     

Wind power resource in the south-western region of Algeria

In this study, we present a statistical analysis of wind speeds at Tindouf in Algeria using Risoe National Laboratory's Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP). It requires information related to the sheltering obstacles, surface roughness changes and terrain height variations in order to calculate their effects on the wind. Wind data, consisting of hourly wind speed records over a 5-year period, 2002–2006, were obtained from SONELGAZ R&D Office; the average wind speed at a height of 17 m above ground level was found to range from 7.19 to 7.95 m/s. The Weibull distributions parameters (c and k) were found to vary between 8.0 and 8.9 m/s and 2.54–3.23, respectively, with average power density ranging from 318 to 458 W/m². The dominant wind directions and the frequency distributions were also determined.     

The wind energy potential of Malaysia

Wind data collected at ten stations in Malaysia were analysed for wind energy potential. The data were collected over a ten-year period (1982–1991). The results were presented as a Weibull distribution and analysis indicated that the station at Mersing has the greatest potential, with a mean power density of 85.61 W/m² at 10 m above sea level.     

Wind energy resource assessment for the Fiji Islands: Kadavu Island and Suva Peninsula

Wind energy assessment of two sites in the Fiji Islands is presented. The wind resource of the remote island of Kadavu is analysed along with the urban Suva Peninsula. The former has average (mean) wind speeds of 3.59 ms⁻¹and 3.88 ms^-1 at 20 m and 34 m above ground level (AGL). The latter has average wind speeds of 5.65 ms^-1 and 6.38 ms^-1, respectively. The prevailing wind direction for both the sites corresponds to the South-East winds. A wind shear analysis shows the variations in wind speeds during different periods of the day for the Suva site. A high resolution wind resource map of both the sites is simulated using the WAsP software for a radius of 5 km. The WasP analysis indicates good wind power development potential for Kadavu is for the windward side of the Kadavu ridge in the eastern region. The Suva Peninsula site showed good wind power development potential for the Laucala Bay area. A power analysis using the Vestas V27 225 kW turbine is carried out for the specific sites.     

Investigation of wind power potential at Bozcaada, Turkey

Thirteen years of wind data from Bozcaada Meteo-station have been used to evaluate the potential of wind power on Bozcaada Island, in the North-eastern part of the Aegean Sea. Investigations show that Bozcaada has a considerable wind potential (average wind speed M = 6.4 ms⁻¹ and a mean energy density E = 324 W/m⁻² at the location of the meteo-station, at 10 m above ground level which could cover its yearly electricity demand by utilizing only one 250 kW wind turbine. The wind atlas analysis and application program, WAsP, has been used to evaluate the wind atlas statistics and energy densities of Bozcaada. The yearly power production of the 250 kW wind turbine, assumed to be installed has been calculated. Then an environmental and techno-economic analysis of wind power has been carried out.     

Wind characteristics and energy potentials for Owerri, Nigeria

Wind characteristics and wind energy resource potentials for Owerri, Nigeria are presented. These were evaluated using routine wind data measurements at a height of 10 m above ground level at the Lake Nwebere Campus, Federal University of Technology, Owerri between 1988 and 1992. The most prevailing wind is from the Southwest and the average wind speed and its variation are 2.80 and 0.81 m s⁻¹, respectively.Accordingly, the maximum annual mean power density exploitable from the wind at this site is 7.66 ± 0.15 W m⁻² out of the estimated available annual mean wind power density of 12.91 ± 0.26 W m⁻². The annual mean energy density available in the wind was found to be 60.29 kW h m⁻². Thus, the potential for year-round wind energy utilization in Owerri, Nigeria is rather low.     

Assessment of wind energy potentiality at Kudat and Labuan, Malaysia using Weibull distribution function

The wind resource is a crucial step in planning a wind energy project and detailed knowledge of the wind characteristic at a site is needed to estimate the performance of a wind energy project. In this paper, with the help of 2-parameter Weibull distribution, the assessment of wind energy potentiality at Kudat and Labuan in 2006-2008 was carried out. “WRPLOT” software has been used to show the wind direction and resultant of the wind speed direction. The monthly and yearly highest mean wind speeds were 4.76 m/s at Kudat and 3.39 m/s at Labuan respectively. The annual highest values of the Weibull shape parameter (k) and scale parameter (c) were 1.86 and 3.81 m/s respectively. The maximum wind power density was found to be 67.40 W/m² at Kudat for the year 2008. The maximum wind energy density was found to be 590.40 kWh/m²/year at Kudat in 2008. The highest most probable wind speed and wind speed carrying maximum energy were estimated 2.44 m/s at Labuan in 2007 and 6.02 m/s at Kudat in 2007. The maximum deviation, at wind speed more than 2 m/s, between observed and Weibull frequency distribution was about 5%. The most probable wind directions (blowing from) were 190° and 269° at Kudat and Labuan through the study years. From this study, it is concluded that these sites are unsuitable for the large-scale wind energy generation. However, small-scale wind energy can be generated at the turbine height of 100 m.     

Some wind characteristics and applications of wind power on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula

Wind data for eleven stations along the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula have been analysed. Monthly average wind speeds were determined for each station. They range from 2.5 to 7.0 m/s, with a peak between February and July and a low during the August–October period. Maximum extractable monthly and annual average wind powers were derived. They vary between 20 and 250 W/m², 40 and 150 W/m², respectively. An application of wind power, i.e. the production of freshwater with a wind-driven reverse osmosis desalination plant, is suggested.     

6 years of wind data for Marsabit,Kenya average over 14 m/s at 100 m hub height; An analysis of the wind energy potential

The wind energy potential for generation of electricity and for domestic water pumping has been investigated for Marsabit, Kenya. Marsabit (37° 58′N, 2° 19′E) lies in Eastern province approximately 560 km from Nairobi. Wind data from the Kenya Meteorological department for the period 2001–2006 has been used to study the Diurnal, monthly and inter-annual variability using empirical methods including the Power law and Weibull statistics. Average wind speeds greater than11 m/s at a height of 10 m are prevalent in this area. The available power density at a height of 100 m is between 1776 W/m² and 2202 W/m² which is in the wind class range of 7 and 8. The maximum extractable power density at 100 m varied between 1417 W/m² and 1757 W/m². Values of Weibull parameters k (dimensionless) and c (m/s) ranged between 2.5–3.05 and 11.86–12.97 respectively. Wind Rose analysis revealed no marked variation in wind direction and frequency throughout the year (mean direction between 150 and 160 degrees with highest standard deviation of 33.5 degrees). From the analysis, the site was found suitable for grid connected power generation and also for other stand-alone generators that can be used for water pumping and battery charging.     

High value wind: A method to explore the relationship between wind speed and electricity locational marginal price

Wind and solar resources are, by nature, spatially distributed and temporally variable. The process of siting generators that use these renewable resources and integrating them into the electricity system therefore raises different issues than the same process for combustion facilities does. A method for discovering wind power sites with the highest value to the electricity system was developed and is illustrated here using data for the state of Michigan. This method combines readily available hourly average 10 m wind speed data with wholesale electricity price data, as hourly locational marginal price (LMP). The 10 m wind speed data from 72 sites were extrapolated vertically to 80 m turbine hub height, converted to wind power density, and interpolated horizontally via kriging to reconstruct a continuous surface. LMP data from 178 generator nodes were allocated across space using Thiessen polygons. High LMP was interpreted as a signal of insufficiency or weakness in the electricity system, and wind energy was considered a possible remedy. The method, implemented in a GIS, identifies when and where peaks in LMP and wind power density co-occur and highlights these events as high value. As the drive to incorporate more renewable generators into the electricity system increases, this method will help locate the most desirable sites based on wind resource characteristics and the structure of the larger electricity system. Proposing a new way to think about the value of the wind resource to the electricity system is a primary contribution of this work.     

Offshore wind power simulation by using WRF in the central coast of Chile

This paper presents the first estimate of offshore wind power potential for the central coast of Chile. For this purpose, wind speed data from in-situ stations and ERA-Interim reanalysis were used to simulate wind fields at regional level by means of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Wind field simulations were performed at different heights (20, 30, 40 and 140 m.a.s.l.) and a spatial resolution of 3 × 3 km for the period from February 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007, which comprised the entire series of in-situ data available. The results show an RMSE and r² of 2.2 m s⁻¹ and 0.55 respectively for the three heights simulated as compared to in-situ data. Based on the simulated wind data, the wind power for the study area was estimated at ∼1000 W m⁻² at a height of 140 m.a.s.l. For a typical wind turbine of 8 MW generator, the estimated capacity factor exceeds 40%, with an average annual generation of ∼30 GWh. Offshore wind power in Chile is an emerging renewable energy source that is as yet still under-developed, these estimates help to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge about Chile's true renewable energy potential.     

Potential wind power generation in the State of Kuwait

The wind characteristics of six locations in the State of Kuwait have been assessed. The annual average wind speed for the considered sites ranged from 3.7 to 5.5 m/s and a mean wind power density from 80 to 167 W/m² at standard height of 10 m. The Weibull parameters and power density of each station have been determined using Weibull distribution. The wind data at heights 15, 20, 25 and 30 m were obtained by extrapolation of the 10 m data using the Power-Law. The potential wind energy at different heights was estimated using Weibull parameters. Maximum power density is found at 30 m height which varies between 130 and 275 W/m² with 70% increase from the standard height indicating fairly potential wind energy especially in the northern part of the country. The highest potential wind power was found during the summer season which is the peak demand season of electricity in Kuwait.