Wind turbine as an energy fuel saver - A case study for remote area in Oman

Abstract

A number of years worth of data concerning the wind speed in Oman have been presented in this article. The data are obtained from a remote agricultural research station in Oman. The annual mean wind speed is 5.7 m/s. In this station, electricity supply is provided with diesel-engine generating units. The annual peak load and minimum load recorded at the site is 130 kW and 28 kW, respectively. A 50-kW wind turbine is selected to demonstrate the economic feasibility of the turbine as a fuel saver. The results show that wind energy utilization is an attractive option with total specific cost of the selected wind turbine at 7.8 ¢/kWh at 7.55% discount rate comparing to diesel generation operating cost of 14.3 ¢/kWh, considering the capital cost of diesel units as sunk. The simple payback period of the turbine is 5.4 years and discounted payback 7.2 years.