A Site-Specific Wind Energy Potential Analysis Based on Wind Probability Distributions: A Ciudad Juárez-México Case Study

Abstract

Wind energy production has been a relevant topic of research for several years. Specifically, the estimation of wind energy potential has received important attention in different regions of the world. One of the main considerations for these estimations is based on the modeling of wind speed data based on probability density functions (PDF), given that once the best distribution for wind speed data is determined, the wind energy potential can be estimated. The objective of this paper is to investigate the wind speed and wind energy potential in Ciudad Juárez, México. To achieve this, three meteorological stations were installed in strategic open sites at a height of 10 meters within and on the edges of the city. Speed data were recorded for each meteorological station every ten minutes over a one-year period. The wind speed data were studied to define the best-fitting distribution, and different commercial wind turbines were considered to estimate the power curves for each location. With the characterized power curves, it was possible to estimate the potential energy production. In addition, wind shear was considered to estimate the energy production with wind turbines that have greater heights. The results show the importance of selecting the best distribution to estimate the wind energy potential of certain regions where measurements can be obtained from different locations.