Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Installation Based on Wind Data Collected in Gharyan City, Libya

Abstract

Assessing the potential of wind energy involves an integrated analysis approach, the conclusions of which inform the experts of the field about the possibilities of harnessing wind energy on a certain location. This type of analysis is made of multiple steps, starting from observing and understanding commonly occurring wind patterns at the designated site, followed by collection of data and finally analysis. The current paper is an extended study on the first two steps where several parameters such as wind’s average speed and its direction, as well as various changes such as short-term ones (or gusts), yearly, seasonal, and even daily changes, and height-related variations were collected. Since the above-mentioned parameters are site-specific, they can be accurately determined through on-site measurements during extended time periods. The site for this study is the city of Gharyan in Libya which was divided into four sub-locations. Data were gathered from meteorological stations located in the vicinity of the designated area in three-hours periods, and they were then used to recalculate wind’s real speed and height at a specific hub. Among the important calculation parameters were Weibull's distribution, average wind speed, annual capacity factor, and the annual energy factor, all of them required for each proposed site. The calculations of the annual capacity and energy factors are necessary for choosing the appropriate wind turbine, generally named Vestas (V60, 850kW). The current study clearly shows that some sites, in particular four locations in Ghayran where feasible annual energy, capacity factor, and acceptable power generation capacity were recorded have wind energy for civilian purposes.