Wind energy potential at coastal and offshore locations in the state of Kuwait

Abstract

This research explores the wind energy potential at ten coastal and offshore locations in the State of Kuwait. The wind data were obtained from the Department of Meteorology. Wind energy capacity at 50 m, 80 m, 100 m, and 120 m elevations was calculated. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted to determine important monthly and annual statistical parameters and the monthly and annual power density. The two-parameter Weibull distribution was used to fit the wind data and calculate wind energy density. The parameters of Weibull distribution were calculated using the maximum likelihood method. The stations were ranked from 1 to 10, where 1 is the location with highest wind energy potential and 10 is the location with lowest wind energy potential. Stations 10, 9 and 5 are found as promising for installing coastal/offshore windmills in the marine area of Kuwait, and stations 8, 6, and 2 found as possible for installing coastal/offshore windmills. The other four stations seem to be not feasible as they are classified marginal. The results of this study can be used for selecting the suitable and attractive site for offshore windmills in Kuwaiti territorial waters.