Comparative simulation of wind park design and siting in Algeria

Abstract

In this paper, five typical regions of Algeria where wind is strong enough are selected. These regions usually intended for traditional agriculture are, centred around the towns of Guelma, El Oued, Tindouf, Touggourt and Tamanrasset. To make wind energy conversion available as an alternative energy source for the populations living in such countries, nine types of small and medium wind turbines constructed by American and European manufacturers are studied for their suitability. To account for the wind variations with height, four possible heights of the pylon holding the turbines are considered: 10, 20, 40 and 60 m. In each of the five locations and at each pylon height, wind energy converted by the turbines, is cumulated over the year and computed. Depending on the site and their size, most of these turbines are found to produce about 1000–10,000 MWh of electricity per year at 60 m of altitude and can easily satisfy the electricity need in irrigation and its household applications in rustic and arid regions. A quick glance of the results of the above computation shows that the choice of pylons of 20 m height yields a trade-off between the production of electrical energy and the requirements of economy. Owing to the sporadic wind variations, wind energy conversion systems can only be used as an auxiliary source. In particular, these systems can advantageously be coupled to stand-alone photovoltaic conversion systems in remote locations or connected to the electric mains in urban zones.