Viability and economic analysis of wind energy resource for power generation in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

In this study, wind characteristics and wind power potential of Johannesburg are investigated using 5-min average time series wind speed collected between 2005 and 2009 at anemometer height of 10 m. The statistical distribution that best fits the empirical wind speed data at the site of study is first determined based on the coefficient of determination and root mean square error criteria. The statistical parameters and wind power density based on this model are estimated for different months of the year using standard deviation method. Economic analyses of some wind turbines are also carried out. Some of the key results show that the site is only suitable for small wind turbines in a standalone application. A 10 kW wind turbine with cut-in wind speed of 3.5 m/s, rated wind speed of 9 m/s, and cut-out wind speed of 25 m/s seems most appropriate in Johannesburg with the lowest cost that varies from 0.25 to 0.33 $/kWh.

Keywords:

• capacity factor
• wind energy
• wind distribution
• Johannesburg
• power density

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Tshwane University of Technology for their support with regard to this research and also the South African Weather Services for providing the data used for this study.