Abstract
This study investigates both the characteristics of the vertical wind profile at the Bobo Dioulasso site located in the Sudanian climate zone in Burkina Faso during a day and night convective wind cycle and the estimation and variability of the wind resource. Wind data at 10 m above ground level and satellite data at 50 m altitude in the atmospheric boundary layer were used for the period going from January 2006 to December 2016. Based on Monin-Obukhov theory, the logarithmic law and the power law made it possible to characterize the wind profile. On the study site, the atmosphere is generally unstable from 10:00 to 18:00 and stable during the other periods of the day. Wind extrapolation models were tested on our study site. Fitting equations proposed are always in agreement with the data, contrary to other models assessed. Based on these equations, the profile of a day and night cycle wind cycle was established by extrapolation of wind data measured at 10 m above the ground. Lastly, the model of the power law based on the stability was used to generate data on wind speed from 20 m to 50 m based on data from 10 m above the ground. Weibull function was used to characterize wind speed rate distribution and to calculate wind energy potential. The average annual power density on the site is estimated at 53.13 W/m2 at 20 m and at 84.05 W/m2 at 50 m, or 36.78% increase. Considering these results, the Bobo-Dioulasso site could be appropriate to build small and medium-size turbines to supply the rural communities of the Bobo Dioulasso region with electricity.
Highlights
Energy is a key factor that contributes to populations’ socio-economic well-being
Vertical Extrapolation Method of the Wind Speed. Both most widely used wind speed extrapolation methods that take into account roughness and atmospheric stability conditions [20] [21] were used, i.e. the log-linear law based on the similarity model and the power law [12] [13] [15] that were evaluated on our study site in order to choose the most optimal one
This study was conducted in two steps, the first of which consisted of developing specific extrapolation models at the Bobo-Dioulasso site belonging to the Sudanese climate zone in Burkina Faso
Summary
Energy is a key factor that contributes to populations’ socio-economic well-being. With the growing population coupled with development needs in terms of energy demand [1], the access to sustainable energy remains a major challenge. With the gradual depletion of traditional energy resources and their environmental impact, it is detrimental to align the energy sector development strategies with envronmental protection for sustainable development [2] In this context, the contribution of renewable energy to the global energy mix has steadily increased [3]. A study commissioned by the African Development Bank explicitly reveals that in the Sub-Saharan Africa and in Burkina Faso, several major obstacles challenge the use and the development of this source of energy [5] One of these obstacles is the lack of dada on wind potential within the hub to estimate the resource available. These tools used to assess the resource increase the cost of wind projects by making them often economically unsustainable [6]
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