Wind energy resource assessment for Mukdahan, Thailand

ABSTRACT

The generation of electricity from wind energy can reduce the fossil sources imported and carbon dioxide emissions. The wind is free, clean, and green energy. This study aims to present a wind energy assessment for Mukdahan site of Thailand. The wind speed at heights of 60, 90, and 120 m above ground level was measured from January 1^st, 2012 to December 31^st, 2017. The annual mean wind speeds were 3.59, 4.02, and 4.51 m/s at 60, 90, and 120 m AGL, respectively. The majority of wind directions were contributed by the monsoon for this region. The Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP) was used to predict the Annual Energy Production and Capacity Factor for five selected wind turbines in a capacity range of 0.85 − 3.30 MW. Moreover, the high-resolution wind resource map also indicated the high potential for wind around the site. The low cut-in speed and high hub-height wind turbines such as VestasV110-2.0 MW and V126-3.3 MW can produce higher energy output, capacity factor and better cost of energy, especially when the wind turbine site is located on the ridges and peaks of hills around the site. The best cost of energy was 0.030 USD/kWh, which was observed for the V110 wind turbine and the second best was 0.041 USD/kWh for the V126 wind turbine, especially when considering placement on the peak of a hill. The important data from this study can be developed for wind farm project installation and suitable wind turbine design for the whole local region.

KEYWORDS:

• Mukdahan
• wind energy
• wind turbine
• Weibull distribution
• wind measurement

Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) and the Center for Alternative Energy Research and Development, Khon Kaen University (AERD-KKU) for research funding.