Estimation of monthly wind speed distribution basing on hybrid Weibull distribution

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare four numerical methods to estimate the most suitable one which describes wind speed distribution of M'Sila, a province of northern Algeria. Design/methodology/approach - The site chosen in this investigation is characterized by calm winds; in this case, the appropriate wind speed distribution is that of hybrid Weibull. Findings - The four numerical methods used in the present paper are the maximum likelihood method, the graphical method, the moment method and the energy pattern factor method. The hybrid Weibull distributions using the abovementioned approaches are compared with the measured data via three statistical parameters, namely, the correlation coefficient, the root mean square error and the Chi-square error. Originality/value - The obtained results showed that the moment method is the suitable one in describing month and annual wind speed hybrid Weibull parameters of this region.