A statistical analysis of wind energy potential at the eastern region of Saudi Arabia

Sahin A. Z., Aksakal A.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, vol.23, no.10, pp.909-917, 1999 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 23 Issue: 10
  • Publication Date: 1999
  • Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.909-917
  • Keywords: energy, environment, statistical data, wind, wind power, CONSUMPTION, MODEL
  • Istanbul Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The energy potential of wind for the eastern region of Saudi Arabia is investigated based on measurements of a complete year data at a coastal location in eastern Saudi Arabia. A suitable Weibull distribution is generated and a comparison of this model is made with the Rayleigh distribution of wind power densities. Two horizontal-axis type of wind energy conversion systems which operate at fixed rpm are considered for the determination of the extractable wind power, and a model of quadratic power output function is used between the cut-in speed and rated speed. It is shown that small-scale wind energy systems are suitable in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia for power generation and irrigation purposes. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.