Study of the Decentralized Electrification by a Micro-Wind Power Plant: Case of Ahouandji Locality in Southern Benin

Abstract

Access to energy is a major challenge for the socio-economic well-being of populations. In Benin, the electric energy sector is characterized by a low rate of access to energy in rural area (6.6% in 2017) and dependence on the outside at 40%. In the village of Ahouandji (Ouidah commune) located on the coast of Benin and far from the conventional network, the surface winds are regular and permanent. However, this wind resource is untapped despite the unavailability of electrical energy. To cope with this difficulty, this study therefore addresses the design and sizing of a micro-wind power plant to supply the region. Wind data at 10 m above the ground recorded over the period January 1981 to December 2014 by the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa (ASECNA) were used. Based on the socio-economic study of the locality and the statistical study of the winds by the Weibull distribution and the power law, the sizing of the wind power plant components was carried out. The economic study of the system then made it possible to assess the profitability of the project. It emerges from this study that at 25 m above the ground the Weibull shape parameter is estimated at 2.94 and the scale parameter at 6.07 m/s. The most frequent speed is estimated at 5 m/s and the one giving the maximum energy at 10.2 m/s. The micro-power plant is made up of two wind turbines with a nominal power of 29.7 kW for a daily production estimated at 355 kWh, a three-phase converter rated at 30 kW, 06 inverters/chargers with a power of 11.5 kW and 120 batteries (3000Ah/2V). The selling price of kilowatt-hour estimated at 0.17 euro/kWh is quite competitive. The establishment of this micro-wind power plant is therefore an asset for these rural populations.

Keywords

• Electrical energy
• Weibull distribution
• Power law
• Wind turbine
• Kilowatt-hour price