Analysis of ENSO influence on the solar and wind potential of the department of La Guajira

Abstract

This study explores how solar radiation and wind speed in La Guajira vary in response to El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Climatic data were collected and analysed at three iconic locations: Upper Guajira, Middle Guajira, and Lower Guajira, over a span of three decades. The data were obtained from reliable sources such as IDEAM and NASA stations. To identify El Niño and La Niña periods, Southern Oscillation Index (ONI) data were utilised. Subsequently, the data underwent detailed statistical analyses, including hypothesis testing. During El Niño, solar radiation is altered solely in Lower Guajira; for La Niña, no significant changes in solar radiation across the region are observed. Wind speed, for the most part, remains unaffected by the studied climatic phenomena in these areas, with an exception in Middle Guajira during La Niña, where it is notably influenced.