Assessment of wind energy resources for residential use in Victoria, BC, Canada
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Date
2008-02-22T00:26:28Z
Authors
Saenko, Alla
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Abstract
Using the wind speed measurements
collected at the University of Victoria School-based Weather
Station Network over the last several years, an assessment
of the local wind power potential is presented focusing
on its residential use. It is found that, while the local winds are
generally characterized by relatively small mean values, their
spacial and temporal variability is large. More
wind power is potentially available during the winter
season compared to the summer season, and during daytime
compared to nighttime. The examination of wind characteristics at
32 stations in the network reveals areas with wind energy potential
1.5-2.3 times larger than that at the UVic location, which represents
a site with average wind power potential. The station with the
highest potential is found to be that of Lansdowne.
The probability distribution of the local wind speeds
can be reasonably well described by the Weibull probability
distribution, although it is recommended that seasonal variability
of local winds be taken into consideration when estimating
the Weibull fitting parameters. Based on a theoretical and
statistical analysis, wind power output and its dependence on
wind power density are estimated for five different locations
in Victoria, B.C. Overall, it is found that the largest amount
of power can be produced from the wind at Lansdowne during winter
where, among the micro and small turbines considered, the
FD2.5-300 and ARE10kW, respectively, would produce
the largest amounts of power.
Description
Keywords
wind energy, small turbines, residential use