An assessment of wind energy potential as a power generation source in the capital of Iran, Tehran

In this paper, the statistical data of eleven years' wind speed measurements of the capital of Iran, Tehran, are used to find out the wind energy potential. Also, other wind characteristics with the help of two methods of meteorological and Weibull are assessed to evaluate of which at a height of 10 m above ground level and in open area. For this purpose, a long term data source, consisting of eleven years (1995-2005) of three-hour period measured mean wind data, was adopted and analyzed. Based on these data, it was indicated that the numerical values of the shape and scale parameters for Tehran varied over a wide range. The yearly values of k (dimensionless Weibull shape parameter), ranged from 1.91 to 2.26 with a mean value of 2.02, while those of c (Weibull scale parameter), were in the range of 4.38-5.1 with a mean value of 4.81. Corresponding values for monthly data of whole year were found to be within the range 1.72-2.68 and 4.09-5.67, respectively related to k and c Weibull parameters. Results revealed that the highest and the lowest wind power potential are in April and August respectively. It was also concluded that the site studied is not suitable for electric wind application in a large-scale. It was found that the wind potential of the region can be adequate for non-grid connected electrical and mechanical applications, such as wind generators for local consumption, battery charging, and water pumping. In wind direction evaluation, it was found that the most probable wind direction for the eleven-year period is on 186 degrees, i.e. west winds. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.