Comparative Analysis for Evaluating Wind Energy Resources Using Intelligent Optimization Algorithms and Numerical Methods

Statistical distributions are used to model wind speed,and the twoparameters Weibull distribution has proven its effectiveness at characterizing wind speed.Accurate estimation of Weibull parameters,the scale(c)and shape(k),is crucial in describing the actual wind speed data and evaluating the wind energy potential.Therefore,this study compares the most common conventional numerical(CN)estimation methods and the recent intelligent optimization algorithms(IOA)to show how precise estimation of c and k affects the wind energy resource assessments.In addition,this study conducts technical and economic feasibility studies for five sites in the northern part of Saudi Arabia,namely Aljouf,Rafha,Tabuk,Turaif,and Yanbo.Results exhibit that IOAs have better performance in attaining optimal Weibull parameters and provided an adequate description of the observed wind speed data.Also,with six wind turbine technologies rating between 1 and 3MW,the technical and economic assessment results reveal that the CN methods tend to overestimate the energy output and underestimate the cost of energy($/kWh)compared to the assessments by IOAs.The energy cost analyses show that Turaif is the windiest site,with an electricity cost of$0.016906/kWh.The highest wind energy output is obtained with the wind turbine having a rated power of 2.5 MW at all considered sites with electricity costs not exceeding$0.02739/kWh.Finally,the outcomes of this study exhibit the potential of wind energy in Saudi Arabia,and its environmental goals can be acquired by harvesting wind energy.

Discussion on the Assessment Method of Wind Energy Resources by Using Regional Meteorological Data

The exploitation status of wind energy resources was analyzed, and the distribution of wind energy resources and regional meteorological stations were introduced, and then the assessment method of wind energy resources by using data from regional meteorological station was studied taking Huangjin Regional Meteorological Station in Xinning County in Hunan Province for example, besides, corresponding software was compiled. By means of SQL database and program, the method was used simply and easily and had positive meaning for the development of wind energy resources and excavation of wind farm in inland region.

Research on Representative Engineering Applications of Anemometer Towers Location in Complex TopographyWind Resource Assessment

The typical location and number of anemometer towers in the assessed area are the key to the accuracy of wind resource assessment in complex topography.As calculation examples,this paper used two typical complex topography wind farms in Guangxi,Yunnan province in China.Firstly,we simulated the wind resource status of the anemometer tower in the Meteodyn WT software.Secondly,we compared the simulated wind resource with the actual measured data by the anemometer tower in the same situation.Thirdly,we analyzed the influence of anemometer tower location and quantity in the accuracy of wind resource assessment through the comparison results.The results showed that the range which the anemometer tower can represent is limited(<5 kilometers),and the prediction error more than 5%.Besides,the anemometer towers in special terrain areas(such as wind acceleration areas)cannot be used as a representative choice.The relative error of the simulated average annual wind speed by choose different number of anemometer towers is about 4%,and the grid-connected power generation more than 6%.The representative effect of anemometer towers is of crucial for improving the accuracy of wind resource assessment in engineering applications.

Characteristics of Wind Speed Profiles under Complex Terrain Conditions in Loess Plateau

To reveal the changing characteristics of wind speed with altitude in under complex terrain conditions in Loess Plateau in Northern Shaanxi, based on the complete data of wind speed profiles of six wind towers in the region in a year, the diurnal, monthly, and seasonal variations of wind shear index of the wind towers as well as the changes of wind shear index with wind speed under complex terrain conditions were studied. The results showed that the wind shear index of each wind tower was positive, showing that wind speed tended to increase with the rising of altitude in most areas of Loess Plateau in Northern Shaanxi; terrain had obvious effects on wind speed profiles. The wind shear index of the wind towers was small during the day and large at night; the differences between day and night in the wind shear index of various wind towers were different; there were obvious seasonal variations in the wind shear index of the wind towers under different terrain conditions. With the increase of wind speed, the wind shear index of each wind tower increased firstly and then decreased, but the peaks of wind shear index of various wind towers ap- peared in different wind speed ranges. When wind speed varied from 3 to 12 m/s, wind shear index was larger than the comprehensive wind shear index of the wind towers, which is beneficial to the improvement of power generation of a wind power plant. Wind shear index can be used to assess wind resources of a wind power plant.

Wind Energy Data Analysis and Resource Mapping of Dangla,Gojjam,Ethiopia

Energy is one of the most important factors in socio-economic development.The rapid increase in energy demand and air pollution has increased the number of ways to generate energy in the power sector.Currently,wind energy capacity in Ethiopia is estimated at 10,000 MW.Of these,however,only eight percent of its capacity has been used in recent years.One of the reasons for the low use of wind energy is the lack of accurate wind atlases in the country.Therefore,the purpose of this study is to develop an accurate wind atlas and review the wind resources using Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program in Dangla so that the best sites used for the installation of wind farms can be easily identified.Wind climatology data,vector maps,and wind turbine data were used to model the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program.The wind data collected from National Meteorology Survey Agency over three years were used for the analysis.Besides,vector data for the survey area was prepared using Global Mapper V20.1.In this study,the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program tool was used to estimate wind resources.The wind resource map was developed at an altitude of 80 m above ground level,and a horizontal axis type wind generator called(i.e.,GridStreamer Vestas V1001.8 MW)was selected from the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program catalog to mimic the wind farm.The results obtained from the analysis of actual wind data showed that the minimum wind speed was 0.12083 m/s while the maximum wind speed was 9.96389 m/s.At a height of 10 m a.g.l.,the mean wind speed and wind power density were 1.8 m/s and 9 w/m2,respectively.The most common wind direction was also discovered to be 210 degrees.The maximum wind speed and capacity factor were available around hills,according to the wind resource map,and the net annual energy output of the Dangla wind farm at a turbine height of 80 m a.g.l.was found to be 282.726 GWh(or,32.27 MW).The farm’s capacity factor was also discovered to be 9.54 percent,indicating that the site is rated as low potential.

Discussion on the Regional Division of the Development Stage of China's Wind Power

This paper constructs the index system of the regional division of the development stage of China's wind power resources,including the index of energy,the index of wind energy endowments and other indices.Based on principal component analysis and layered clustering analysis of these indices,and combined with the conceptual function of the development and utilization stage of the wind power,this paper divides the development and utilization stage of the wind power into four stages taking province as the basic yardstick:optimization growth stage,the rapid growth stage,the slow growth stage and the initial growth stage.In addition,this paper briefly discusses the basic strategy that should be adopted in each development stage of wind power resources.

Seasonal Wind Characteristics and Prospects of Wind Energy Conversion Systems for Water Production in the Far North Region of Cameroon

This study aimed at investigating the characteristics of the wind power resource in the Far North Region of Cameroon (FNR), based on modelling of daily long-term satellite-derived data (2005-2020) and in-situ wind measurements data (1987-2020). Five different reliable statistical indicators assessed the accuracy level for the goodness-of-fit tests of satellite-derived data. The two-parameter Weibull distribution function using the energy factor method described the statistical distribution of wind speed and investigated the characteristics of the wind power resource. Six 10-kW pitch-controlled wind turbines (WT) evaluated the power output, energy and water produced. A 50 m pumping head was considered to estimate seasonal variations of volumetric flow rates and costs of water produced. The results revealed that the wind resource in FNR is suitable only for wind pumping applications. Based on the hydraulic requirements for wind pumps, mechanical wind pumping system can be the most cost-effective option of wind pumping technologies in FNR. However, based on the estimated capacity factors of selected WT, wind electric pumping system can be acceptable for only four out of twenty-one sites in FNR.

Assessment Method of Offshore Wind Resource Based on Multi-dimenssiional Indexes System

Traditional assessment indexes could not fully describe offshore wind resources,for the meteorological properties of offshore are more complex than onshore.As a result,the uncertainty of offshore wind power projects would be increased and final economic benefits would be affected.Therefore,a study on offshore wind resource assessment is carried out,including three processes of“studying data sources,conducting multidimensional indexes system and proposing an offshore wind resource assessment method based on analytic hierarchy process(AHP).First,measured wind data and two kinds of reanalysis data are used to analyze the characteristics and reliability of data sources.Second,indexes such as effective wind speed occurrence,affluent level occurrence,coefficient of variation,neutral state occurrence have been proposed to depict availability,richness,and stability of offshore wind resources,respectively.Combined with existing parameters(wind power density,dominant wind direction occurrence,water depth,distance to coast),a multidimensional indexes system has been built and on this basis,an offshore wind energy potential assessment method has been proposed.Furthermore,the proposed method is verified by the annual energy production of five offshore wind turbines and practical operating data of four offshore wind farms in China.This study also compares the ranking results of the AHP model to two multi-criteria decision making(MCDM)models including weighted aggregated sum product assessment(WASPAS)and multi-attribute ideal real comparative analysis(MAIRCA).Results show the proposed method gains well in practical engineering applications,where the economic score values have been considered based on the offshore reasonable utilization hours of the whole life cycle in China.

Investigating the impacts of spatial-temporal variation features of air density on assessing wind power generation and its fluctuation in China

Air density plays an important role in assessing wind resource.Air density significantly fluctuates both spatially and temporally.But literature typically used standard air density or local annual average air density to assess wind resource.The present study investigates the estimation errors of the potential and fluctuation of wind resource caused by neglecting the spatial-temporal variation features of air density in China.The air density at 100 m height is accurately calculated by using air temperature,pressure,and humidity.The spatial-temporal variation features of air density are firstly analyzed.Then the wind power generation is modeled based on a 1.5 MW wind turbine model by using the actual air density,standard air densityρst,and local annual average air densityρsite,respectively.Usingρstoverestimates the annual wind energy production(AEP)in 93.6%of the study area.Humidity significantly affects AEP in central and southern China areas.In more than 75%of the study area,the winter to summer differences in AEP are underestimated,but the intra-day peak-valley differences and fluctuation rate of wind power are overestimated.Usingρsitesignificantly reduces the estimation error in AEP.But AEP is still overestimated(0-8.6%)in summer and underestimated(0-11.2%)in winter.Except for southwest China,it is hard to reduce the estimation errors of winter to summer differences in AEP by usingρsite.Usingρsitedistinctly reduces the estimation errors of intra-day peak-valley differences and fluctuation rate of wind power,but these estimation errors cannot be ignored as well.The impacts of air density on assessing wind resource are almost independent of the wind turbine types.