2015 Theses Master's

Wind Resource Assessment for Utility-Scale Clean Energy Project: The Case of Sao Vicente Island

Yussuff, Abdulmutalib

Accurate wind resource assessment is of high importance in wind power project development. This thesis estimates the annual energy yield and emission reduction potential for a grid connected 5.95 MW wind power plant at the island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde. Wind speed data from Sao Vicente wind farm is processed and analyzed in R (Statistical software). The maximum annual wind energy potential at the site is 53,470.2 MWh, but analysis shows that the turbine can harness an estimated 14,185 MWh per annum. The estimated annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions displacement is 10,071 tonnes of CO2. In monetary terms, the GHG displacement is worth € 60,428 per annum based on the European trading system of € 6 per tonne CO2. The estimated investment cost of the 5.95MW wind power project is € 15.5 million against the estimated investment cost of similar project in Germany of € 10 million based on the investment benchmark of $ 1,800/kW published by the Fraunhofer Institute and also in comparison with a typical Vestas wind turbine cost of $1,800/kW. The difference in investment cost between Cape Verde and Germany is attributed to additional cost of breaking the complex terrain barriers to the good wind site in Sao Vicente; importation of turbine and equipment parts; foreign consultancy services and manpower; pre-feasibility and feasibility studies to identify suitable sites. With the prevailing electricity tariff of € 0.28 per kWh in Cape Verde, it was estimated that the wind power project will break-even within 4 years with or without carbon credit. This indicates that the project is financially viable. In the context of Nigeria’s coastal area of Lagos, wind resource potential lies within Class 1 (<5 m/s) at a hub height of 74 metres. This indicates that wind power project could be realized using a turbine with a cut-in speed below 3 m/s in best case scenario. The implication is that more numbers of small wind turbines will be needed to reach utility-scale.