TITLE:
Analysis of Wind Speed Data and Wind Energy Potential for Seven Selected Locations in KSA
AUTHORS:
Saeed A. AlGhamdi, Ahmed M. Abdel-Latif, Ossama S. Abd El-Kawi, Ossama B. Abouelatta
KEYWORDS:
Wind Speed, Wind Energy, Wind Power, Power Factor
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Power and Energy Engineering,
Vol.10 No.4,
April
14,
2022
ABSTRACT: Al-Baha region, located in Saudi Arabia, is one of the main tourism and
leisure areas. The authority at Al-Baha Governorate plans to use clean and
renewable energy in its tourism facilities. The importance of this study is to
assess the possibility of building a wind farm in Al-Baha and to select the
best site for this purpose. This paper presents an analysis of long-term wind
data for the annual and monthly variability in Al-Baha region of southwestern
Saudi Arabia. Al-Baha region has an area of 9921 square kilometers and is
divided into seven regions (groups) based on their similar measurements and
wind speed values. The analysis used 40 years of annual and monthly wind speed
data between 1981 and 2020. The analysis showed that Group III has the highest
mean wind speed values in the northeastern part of the Al-Baha region, ranging
from 5.4 m/s to 5.9 m/s at 50 m above the surface. Group VI (5.1 - 5.6 m/s)
east of the Al-Baha area recorded the second-highest mean wind speed, while
group V southwest of the Al-Baha area recorded lower values. The maximum wind
speeds observed in Group III in January, February, March, and July
were 6 m/s or higher. A frequency analysis ensures that 79% of the year’s wind
speeds exceed 4 m/s at 50 m above the surface of the Group III site. Wind power
was considered for 17 wind turbines of different sizes. The Soyut Wind 500 machine
was found to produce maximum energy of 1420 MWh/year. The highest performance
values for the Soyut Wind 500 machine occurred in winter and summer, while the
calculated capacity factor values at a hub height of 50 m were 41% and 32%,
respectively. The assessment concluded that generating electricity from wind at
G III in the northeast of the Al-Baha region is a good decision.