Assessing the performance of several numerical methods for estimating Weibull parameters for Wind Energy Applications: A case study of Al-Hodeidah in Yemen

Abstract

The estimation of wind potential is generally assessed using the two parameters of Weibull distribution (k, c). Relative Percentage Error (RPE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Relative Root Mean Square Error (RRMSE), Correlation Coefficient (R), and Index of Agreement (IA) are calculated to comparatively analyze five numerical methods of computing Weibull parameters. The five selected methods are (Empirical Justus (EMJ), Energy Pattern Factor (EPFM), Maximum Likelihood (MLM), Method of Moment (MOM), and L-moment Estimation Method (L-MOM)). With the daily wind speed dataset for the year 2014 measured at 10 m height, the five methods have been applied on the study site Al-Hodeidah city in Yemen. Therefore, compared to other methods, the EPFM method is the most accurate method for estimating the Weibull parameters, while the L-MOM method is the least accurate at 10, 30, and 50 m heights. Moreover, this study reveals that the parameter remains the same with height, while the c parameter increases with height. The values of the skewness and kurtosis of wind speed and power density do not change as height changes.