Assessment of wind potential for electricity production: case of the rural community of Logone Birni

Abstract

Many non-electrified rural communities find it challenging to follow a precise scientific protocol to assess the feasibility of installing a wind turbine on their site. The objective of the present work is to define a clear protocol for the assessment of wind potential of a rural site. The case of Logone Birni (LB) is taken as a case study. For this purpose, a protocol, integrating the wind parameters of the site have been used to calculate the wind power density, annual energy yield, and capacity factors at 10, 30, and 50 m height using 15 years data. The wind frequency distribution including seasonal has been investigated to determine accurately the wind power of the site. The coefficient of variation is calculated at three different heights. Also, an economic assessment per kWh of energy has been carried out. The results of this study show that it is possible to install a wind farm in LB site with a minimum of 30m height. In addition, wind turbines with a starting speed of 1.5 m/s and a rated power of 20 kW will produce electricity at a low cost (0.453USD/kWh).

Keywords

• wind energy
• renewable energy
• wind assessment
• rural area
• weibull