Technical and economic feasibility of the first wind farm on the coast of Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

The deployment of the use of inshore wind farms is an important for the preservation of the environmental aspects of the Mediterranean Sea zone, and seeks to achieve this goal all major industrialized countries bordering it. To assess the wind profile and its economic feasibility for the coastal area in Sidi Barrani province, a meteorological station with mast of 10 m was constructed near the Mediterranean Sea shore in Egypt. The density of wind power was assessed at the level of 100 m monthly and seasonally after taking into account the correction of air density. On the annual basis, the station is rated with high potential 441 kW/m 2 . This is an ideal location for large-scale wind turbine to generate sustainable electricity. A performance assessment was executed using three commercialized wind generators having capacity of 2000 kW from different manufacturers and were also equal in height and rotor diameter, for choosing the best unit suitable for the target area. The economic analysis of a 200 MW coastal wind farm in the studied area was done using the advanced method of present value costs. The findings prove that the proposed project could produce approximately 988 GWh per year of electrical energy with an economic price of 1.7 US cents per kWh .