Abstract
The use of small wind turbines (SWTs) is an alternative energy strategy with increasing potential for satisfying in situ electrical demands and should be studied to promote social penetration. The Valley of Mexico Metropolitan Area (VMMA) has air pollution issues that need to be addressed. This has resulted in programs for monitoring atmospheric variables, such as wind speed. By selecting and using 3 years’ worth of available data, we developed a methodology to study the technical and economic feasibility of using SWTs in the VMMA. To this end, 28 SWT models were assessed at 18 locations to estimate annual energy production. In light of certain data characteristics, an adjustment to the power production was proposed for the specific case of using SWTs. Cash flow analysis and annualized net present value (ANPV) were used to determine economic feasibility for each location; furthermore, electric home feeds in the VMMA were considered to model local economic conditions. Similar wind conditions were observed within the VMMA; however, only two wind turbine and location models provided positive ANPV values. The extra annual benefit for each project was calculated by associating the cost per mitigation of CO2 emissions, which may provide an economic strategy for promoting the penetration of this technology.
Highlights
As an electricity supply source, wind power is one of the most popular options for avoiding greenhouse gas emission products from fossil fuel combustion, which has a major impact on global warming
In the Gaza Region, a study analyzed the power produced by a 5 kW wind turbine, which was installable on the roof of a residential building, and the results indicated an annual capacity factor of 6%; further, wind power production may be complemented by solar panels to improve power performance and to provide grid stability [15]
We considered that the amount of energy underestimated is at least 30%, and this difference was added to the annual energy produced (AEP) calculated from the 1 h time series to approach the power production of an small wind turbines (SWTs)
Summary
As an electricity supply source, wind power is one of the most popular options for avoiding greenhouse gas emission products from fossil fuel combustion, which has a major impact on global warming. In the Gaza Region, a study analyzed the power produced by a 5 kW wind turbine, which was installable on the roof of a residential building, and the results indicated an annual capacity factor of 6%; further, wind power production may be complemented by solar panels to improve power performance and to provide grid stability [15] In this contribution, we present a technical analysis to describe the regional wind speed, and we assess different SWT models. Reliable calculations require the selection of a proper mean time for the wind speed time series used to feed the model In this way, it is possible to include the energy contained in the gusts in the assessment, and it may improve power estimations [22]. The objective is to provide a methodology that contributes to analyzing and delimiting economic strategies to promote the use of this renewable source of energy in this specific sector
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