Wind Resource Assessment In Egypt



البترول والطاقة : هموم عالم واهتمامات أمة

فى الفترة من 2 – 3 إبريل 2008

بقاعة السنهورى بكلية الحقوق – جامعة المنصورة



بحث بعنوان


Wind Resource Assessment In Egypt



Presented by


Eng./ Ashour AbdelSalam Moussa



New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) - Egypt

e-mail : ****@yahoo.com



Abstract



This paper presents the result of Wind Energy assessment program conducted by the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) an affiliate of Ministry of Electricity and Energy .



The Program started 1986, and currently NREA had erected about 28 measuring stations all over Egyptian territories, the stations were equipped with wind anemometers, wind vanes, data loggers and data storage systems, NREA recruited a special crew for site selections, erection of measuring stations, data collection and data analysis



As result of the NREA effort an areal distribution wind map was published, that illustrated indication of the areal distribution of wind energy potential in Egypt.



The paper shall present some of information regarding the wind energy distribution in Egypt, including sites of measuring stations, types of measuring equipment, heights and average wind speeds and directions .



The wind data proved the existence of a widespread and particularly high wind energy resource along the Gulf of Suez with mean wind speeds 7-10.5 m/s and mean power densities 350-900 W/m . The wind data further indicates that the wind energy resource in large regions of the Western and Eastern deserts -in particular west and east of the Nile valley between 27oN and 29oN.



As a result of these data NREA is currently establishing a large scale wind farms in the Red Sea Coast at Zafarana and Gabel El-Zayt . The capacity 305 MW wind farm in Zafarana connected to the national grid .


Background



In 1990, the available wind data for the Gulf of Suez were re-evaluated by the New and Renewable Energy Authority and Risø National Laboratory with the purpose of making the data useful for windatlas analysis. the sites where wind data had been collected were described with respect to the distribution of roughness areas and the occurrence of sheltering obstacles, and regional wind climatologies for these stations were established.



This survey concluded that the wind conditions in the Gulf of Suez indeed seemed very favourable for wind energy utilization, but recommended that three new stations be established to improve the estimates of the wind energy potential at the two most promising and probable sites for construction of large wind farms. Met. masts were therefore erected at Abu Darag, Zafarana and Hurghada in the spring of 1991. Later, an additional mast was erected just west of the Gulf of El-Zayt. A presentation and analysis of the data collected at these four stations, as well as at five historical stations, were presented in a Wind Atlas for the Gulf of Suez (1996).



Since 1997-98, the wind resource assessment activities in Egypt have to a large extent been carried out in the Wind Atlas for Egypt project. The work has been organised in three main components:

• Component A: Wind Atlas for the Gulf of Suez

• Component B: Preliminary Wind Atlas for Egypt

• Component C: Wind Atlas for Egypt



A Wind Atlas for the Gulf of Suez – Measurements and Modelling 1991-2001 was published by the New and Renewable Energy Authority and Risø in 2003 and a Preliminary Wind Atlas for Egypt was published internally by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority and Risø in 2004 . The main results of these atlases are contained in the present Wind Atlas for Egypt 2005.

Observed wind climates



The Wind Atlas for Egypt presents the results of a comprehensive eight-year wind resource assessment programme covering the entire land area of Egypt. The aim of the programme has been to establish the meteorological basis for the assessment of the wind energy resources all over Egypt, in particular in six designated regions: the Northwest Coast, the Northeast Coast, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Gulf of Suez, the Red

Sea and the Western Desert.



The main objective has been to provide reliable and accurate wind atlas data sets for evaluating the potential wind power output from large electricity-producing wind turbine installations.



The study employs wind speed and direction measurements taken in the period 1991 to 2005 at 22 wind atlas stations located in most parts of Egypt. In addition, data from eight standard meteorological stations have been analysed. The twenty-two 25-m masts were erected specifically for the wind study, but provide information on other climate characteristics as well: atmospheric pressure, solar insolation, air temperature, air temperature gradient, atmospheric stability, wind speed profiles, extreme wind speeds, gust and lull wind speeds and turbulence intensity.



The wind data from the 30 stations are analysed using the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP), following the procedures and guidelines of the European Wind Atlas .The roughness (land-use) of the terrain has been assessed from topographical maps,



The coloured map shows the mean wind speed in [ms-1] at a height of 50 m over the actual land surface.Black dots show the locations of the meteorological stations used for the Atlas.



The map indicates that the wind energy resource in several regions are promising, particularly along the Gulf of Suez, the west and east of the Nile valley and Parts of Sinai.



While the following tables illustrates the measurement period, data recovery rate , Weibull A and K parameters, mean wind speed (U), mean power density (E), and direction (Du) and magnitude |U| of the mean wind vector at each measurement site .



Due to geographical consideration and wind distribution pattern, we shall divide the territory into six regions .



For each region, the wind potential shall be addressed :-





The Wind Atlas for Egypt confirms the existence of a widespread and particularly high wind energy resource along the Gulf of Suez. With mean wind speeds and mean power densities of 7–10.5 ms-1 and 350–900 Wm-2, respectively, estimated for a height of 50 m over roughness class 1 (roughness length of 0.03 m), the wind resources are comparable to those of the most favourable regions in NW-Europe.



Parts of the Sinai Peninsula also feature relatively high wind energy resources, in particular along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba and along the mountain ridge to the west of the Ajmah Mountain (Gebel El Tih).



The north-western part of the Mediterranean coast, from Sallum to Alexandria, seemsto be a region of somewhat lower wind resource than was previously assumed. The highest resource is likely to be found on the coastal hills and escarpments and further along the escarpment that constitutes the north-western rim of the Qattara Depression.



Likewise, the coastal tracts of the Red Sea region seem less windy than was hitherto assumed. Finally, the existence of a large, windy region in the south-westernmost part of the Western Desert (the Gilf Plateau) has not been confirmed. This has not been verified by measurements at ground level in the region due to logistical difficulties in erecting and operating a meteorological station in this remote, mountainous area.



The Wind Atlas further indicates that the wind energy resource in large regions of the Western and Eastern Desert – in particular west and east of the Nile valley between 27°N and 29°N, but also north and west of the city of Kharga – are much higher than hitherto assumed. The mean wind speeds predicted here are between 7 and 8 ms-1 and the power densities between 300 and 400 Wm-2. There are no meteorological stations for verification in these regions.









Conclusion



- Measurement programme confirm the promising wind resources



– near the Nile valley in both eastern and western desert

– on the plateau between Kharga and Dakhla



- Continue a network of wind ressource assessment may be continued for several years.



References

- Mortensen, N.G., U. Said Said, H.P. Frank, L. Georgy, C.B. Hasager, M. Akmal, J.C.Hansen and A. Abdel Salam (2003). Wind Atlas for the Gulf of Suez. Measurements and Modelling 1991-2001. New and Renewable Energy Authority, Cairo, and Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde. ISBN 87-550-3195-1. 196 pp.

- Mortensen, N.G., U. Said Said, H.P. Frank, L. Georgy, C.B. Hasager, M. Akmal, J.C.Hansen and A. Abdel Salam , A. S. Yousef M.A.M. Sayed, M.A.A. Hussein and A.M. Awad (2005). Wind Atlas for Egypt. Measurements and Modelling 1991-2005. New and Renewable Energy Authority, Egyptian Meteorological Authority Cairo, and Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde. ISBN 87-550-3493-4. 258 pp.