An Investigation of Wind Characteristics and Techno-Economic Evaluation of Wind Energy in Nigeria

Abstract

In this study, wind characteristics and techno-economic analysis in six selected locations in the northern (Jos, Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri) and southern (Lagos and Enugu) regions of Nigeria using wind speed data at 10m height collected over a period of seventeen years (1990-2006) were analyzed. The techno-economic evaluations of electricity generation from four commercial wind turbine models used for electricity generation located at these sites were evaluated. The wind speed data analysis shows that the sites evaluated are good locations for wind potential in electricity generation from wind. The yearly energy output, the capacity factor and the wind energy cost per unit of electricity generated by the selected wind turbines are calculated. In terms of energy production, the results show that Plateau is best location for harnessing wind power for electricity generation with an average wind power density of 713.95W/m 2. The maximum energy output was obtained for De wind 48 turbine model. The capacity factor values are found to vary from a minimum of 21% to maximum of 28% for this research work. The results also shows that the cost per kWh of electricity generation using these turbines is between 0.493-0.606$kWh.