Energy assessment of the first wind farm section of Sidi Daoud, Tunisia

Tunisia is one of the Mediterranean countries having windy enough areas, in particular along the coasts. During the past years, Tunisia has embarked upon wind energy programs. The first wind farm in Tunisia was brought into service in January 2000 in the region of Sidi Daoud: it is the first section of the farm that consists of 32 aerogenerators (Made AE-32) of 10.56 MW capacity. In the present study, the wind energy potential of the Sidi Daoud site is statistically analyzed based on 5-year measured hourly time-series wind-speed data (2000-2004). Weibull and Rayleigh parameters at a height of 30 in have been estimated and used to describe the distribution and behavior of annual wind speeds and their frequencies at site. Also, the usable and recoverable energies have been calculated, which are used to determine the energetic and aerodynamic characteristics of aerogenerator Made AE-32 installed on site. The monthly and annual values of use factor (UF) of the first section of Sidi Daoud wind farm have been estimated. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.