Abstract
The aim of the present work is to develop a simple model to assess the capacity factor and predicted costs of wind energy in pre-selected five locations in Jordan. The simulation model is based on calculating the Weibull parameters and the annual electrical energy generated using different commercial types of wind turbine generators (WTG). For each site, detailed analysis was conducted using the developed model to calculate the capacity factor and the final unit cost of electricity (COE) for different types of commercial wind turbines. By merging final values of both factors, the best location and most suitable wind turbine could be defined. The estimated cost of electricity produced by wind energy ranged between 0.0259 and 0.0498 US$/kWh for the best site. While for other sites and wind turbine models, the cost may reach 0.2220 US$/kWh, which is still far less than those incurred in Jordan during 2013 using conventional thermal power plants firing diesel and/or heavy fuel oil. The obtained results are comparable with those published in the open literature for the Middle East region and worldwide. It is believed that such results could benefit not only researchers in this field but also policy makers, developers and investors planning to harness wind energy sources within the Middle East region.
Published Version
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