An Experimental Approach for Characterizing the Potential Energy Versus the Sectoral Variations of Wind Turbulence on Sites

Abstract

This paper presents an approach to characterize the wind energy potential (WEP) of dedicated sites in Mauritania. The approach allowed analyzing the WEP of sites according to the sectoral variations of wind turbulence. The objective was achieved using data collected every ten minutes during one-year from eight sites located on the coasts of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. Data include the wind speed and the wind direction. The results highlight annual roughness factor, evolving between 0.11 and 0.27 on sites, for annual mean wind speed values evolving between 4.9 m/s at 10 m height level to 10.0 m/s at 80 m height level, while the corresponding power densities vary from 128.05 to 815.01 W/m2. The analysis of the annual wind distribution shows a Western dominant wind, with a speed greater than 10 m/s on almost all sites, while the sectoral analysis reveals a significant WEP at high height level with very lower turbulence index for all direction sectors. The analysis of the Weibull distribution shows a regular WEP of the wind at high speeds, with high power density in the Northeast and Northwest sectors for all sites. Globally, the power density varies between 70 and 800 W/m2.