Author(s) :

Dan-Isa, A., Kadandani, N.B..

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The fear of limited availability and environmental pollution associated with conventional energy sources necessitates the need for harnessing a renewable and environmentally friendly energy source. In that regard, wind energy is certainly the alternative source because it is free, clean, non-polluting, renewable in nature and can be harnessed at an affordable cost in both large-scale and small-scale system. This paper presents an investigation of the potentiality of converting wind energy to electricity in Katsina, a city in northern Nigeria. Eleven years of wind speed records obtained from Katsina State Meteorological Inspectorate Department are used as input parameters to the wind energy model. Rayleigh probability density function is used to predict the energy that could be harvested from the wind regime. The result shows that the city has average wind speed of 4.2m/s and 5.9m/s at 10m and 50m heights respectively. The latter value is classified as class IV wind, just suitable for electricity generation. Furthermore, statistical analysis using Rayleigh probability density function based on NEG Micon 1000/60 wind turbine reveals that over 2,000 MWh of energy can be generated annually in the study area. This result implies that Katsina is a suitable site for wind power generation. It may be possible to apply this result to other cities in northern Nigeria on the same latitude and altitude. Keywords: Wind speed; Renewable energy; Wind turbine; Rayleigh distribution.

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