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Design and implementation of wind energy system in Saudi Arabia

Article in Renewable Energy · May 2013

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2013.04.006

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Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52

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Technical note

Design and implementation of wind energy system in Saudi Arabia

Ali M. Eltamaly
Sustainable Energy Technologies Center, Electrical Engineering Dept., King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper introduces an accurate procedure to choose the best site from many sites and suitable wind
Received 9 November 2012 turbines for these sites depending on the minimum price of kWh generated (Energy Cost Figure (ECF))
Accepted 7 April 2013 from wind energy system. In this paper a new proposed computer program has been introduced to
Available online
perform all the calculations and optimization required to accurately design the wind energy system and
matching between sites and wind turbines. Some of cost calculations of energy methods have been
Keywords:
introduced and compared to choose the most suitable method. The data for five sites in Saudi Arabia and
Wind energy system design
hundred wind turbines have been used to choose the best site and the optimum wind turbine for each
Matching between site and wind turbine
Cost of energy
site. These sites are Yanbo, Dhahran, Dhulom, Riyadh, and Qaisumah. One hundred wind turbines have
Price minimization of the generated kWh been used to choose the best one for each site. This program is built in a generic form which allows it to
be used with unlimited number of sites and wind turbines in all over the world. The program is written
by using Visual Fortran and it is verified with simple calculation in Excel. The paper showed that the best
site is Dhahran and the suitable wind turbine for this site is KMW-ERNO with 5.85 Cents/kWh. The worst
site to install wind energy system is Riyadh with minimum price of kWh of 12.81 Cents/kWh in case of
using GE Energy 2 wind turbine.
Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction characteristics, its geographically remote locations, and the elec-

Wind energy applications require open area or available shores
for wind energy plants. Saudi Arabia is a vast country with wide
open areas and long shores. The wind speed in most of these areas
is high enough to make the application of wind energy economical.
Saudi Arabia authorities recognize the importance of renewable
energy, especially, wind, and they will invest billions in this
promising sector of power. Even though Saudi Arabia has huge
resources of oil, it is keenly interested in taking an active part in the
development of new technologies for exploiting and utilizing
renewable sources of energy [1]. The electricity production from
wind will save oil that can be exported for increasing national in-
come. Also, the production of electric power from wind energy will
reduce environment pollution that could be generated from con-
ventional power plants. Recently, a lot of researches in the evalu-
ating the applications of wind energy systems in Saudi Arabia are
introduced. Most of these researches recommend wind as a
promising and economical source of energy in Saudi Arabia [2e10].
While the wind resource potential in Saudi Arabia is significant,
there are many issues surrounding its development. These include
the intermittency of the resource, its seasonal and diurnal
E-mail addresses: eltamaly@ksu.edu.sa, eltamaly@yahoo.com.
trical grid infrastructure that must be used to transmit the wind
energy to load areas. All of these issues pose significant technical
barriers to the full development of Saudi Arabia’s wind potential.
The matching between the site and wind turbine has been
introduced in many literature [11,12]. Most of these researches did
not take into account many important issues like the suitable
economical situation in Saudi Arabia and the energy balance be-
tween the required load and the generated power. Also, the market
available software such as Homer, Retscreen, and etc are not flex-
ible enough to change the cost calculations and it is not able to
extract much information as those available from the new pro-
posed computer program.
This paper introduces an accurate procedure to choose the best
site from many sites and suitable wind turbines for these sites
depending on the minimum price of kWh generated from wind
energy system. In this paper a new proposed computer program
has been introduced to perform all the calculations and optimiza-
tion required to accurately design the wind energy system and
matching between sites and wind turbines.
Starting any program of using wind energy system in a utility
scale in any country in the world requires many steps. The first step
is to collect accurate wind speed data for many sites to be used in
the selection process of the best site. The second step is to deter-
mine the load curves which required to be supplied. The third step

0960-1481/$ e see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2013.04.006
 Author's personal copy
A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52
is to collect the data of available wind turbines in the market. This
leads to the question ‘What is the most appropriate wind turbine
for a particular site?’. The aim of this research is to provide an ac-
curate answer to this question. A new proposed computer program
is designed in this paper to answer this question and many other
questions. The function of the proposed program is to decide which
the best site from many available sites is, and which the suitable
wind turbine for each site and the minimum price for generated
kWh. This decision requires very accurate statistical calculations.
Another information can be extracted from this computer program
such as the Weibull parameters, capacity factor and other infor-
mation that may be helpful for researchers. The steps of these
processes are very long and require long time and great efforts for
calculations and optimizations. The new proposed computer pro-
gram will solve this problem in a very short time and gives accurate
results in a flexible fashion. This computer program can be applied
in any region in the world because it has the flexibility to change
the economic calculation to suit any country and it is able to handle
unlimited numbers of sites and wind turbines.
2. Design of the proposed computer program
The flowchart of the computer program is shown in Fig. 1. The
program has a main part and five subroutines. Each subroutine will
perform a certain function as shown in the following sections. This
program has been applied to the five sites in Saudi Arabia. The
performance data of hundred of market available wind turbines
were used to select the most suitable one for each site.
3. Program input data
Wind speed variation of the site and the performance charac-
teristics of wind turbines are the main factors that affect the per-
formance of wind energy system and affect the cost of kWh
generated from it. The data required for the program are:
Reading the data
Wind turbine parameters
Hourly wind speed
Hourly load power
Weibull Parameters
Calculation, (c and k)
Calculating CF, Pav, and
ANWTG
Energy Balance
Subroutine
Cost Estimation
Use the yes no
data for
Is there any
other WTGs?
new WTG
Use the yes Is there any
data for
new site
other sites?
no
Output Results
Fig. 1. Simple block diagram of the computer program.
43
1. Hourly wind speed data for Yanbo, Dhahran, Dhulom, Riyadh,
and Qaisumahsites of Saudi Arabia will be used. The hourly
wind speed data of these sites will be processed using sta-
tistical procedures. The computer program can perform the
optimization for unlimited number of the available data sites.
Wind data is collected from many sources as metrological
authority and over the internet. Wind speeds can be collected
for many sites for different period of times. Meteorologists
generally conclude that it takes at least 5 years of wind data
to determine a reliable average and variance of the wind
speed. Some researchers claim that shorter period of time
may be acceptable for designing renewable energy system
with acceptable confidence [12]. It is better to have a small
interval between each reading of the wind speed data. Thirty
minutes are recommended interval between each two points
of data. But, this may not available for all sites under study
because some of these sites have one-hour interval. So, the
interval used in this research paper is one-hour to fit all
available data.
2. Performance data for market available wind turbines are
introduced, such as rated power, hub height, diameter of swept
area, cut-in speed, rated speed, cut-out speed, price of wind
turbine, and efficiency of the mechanical and electrical system.
In this step hundred market available wind turbines are
introduced to the computer program. The computer program
can perform the optimization for unlimited number of wind
turbines.
3. Hourly loads required to be supplied from the wind energy
system. The load data used in this program is actual data for
small city in Saudi Arabia. The average power required for this
load is 22.5 MW.
4. Steps of the proposed computer program
The main computer program reads all the data mentioned in
previous section. After that, the flow will go to subroutines to make
the calculations, comparisons, and optimizations. Each subroutine
makes a certain function and then sends its results to the next
subroutines. The function of each subroutine is illustrated in the
following:
4.1. Weibull parameters calculations
The purpose of this subroutine is to determine the Weibull, scale
and shape parameters, c and k. A good estimation for c and k can be
obtained quickly as the following [13]:
c ¼ 1:12U ð1:5  k  3:0Þ (1)
Also, if the mean and variance of the wind speed are known,
then approximation for k from Ref. [13] can be used as shown in (2);

s 1:086
k ¼ (2)
U
The variance of the Weibull density function can be shown to
be:
     " #
2 1 2 Gð1 þ 2=kÞ
s ¼ c
2 2
G 1þ G 1þ
2
¼ ðUÞ 1
k k G2 ð1 þ 1=kÞ
(3)
This is a reasonably good approximation over the range
1  k  10. Once k has been determined, c can be obtained as the
following:
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44 A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52

U ho ¼ Cp hm hg (13)
c ¼ (4)
Gð1 þ 1=kÞ
A relation between c and k and other parameters such as If Pe > PL ; Then PT ¼ Pe  PL and Pf ¼ 0 (14)
average wind speed and hub height is extracted from the results of
this subroutine. If Pe > PL ; Then PF ¼ PL  Pe and PT ¼ 0 (15)
Another method depends on the accurate statistical analysis for
For energy balance the following conditions must be satisfied:
obtaining Weibull parameters has been used in this computer
program [14]. The final results for the Weibull parameters are:
X
8760 X
8760 X
8760 X
8760
Pe ðiÞ  PL ðiÞ ¼ 0; PT ðiÞ ¼ PF ðiÞ ¼ 0 (16)
k ¼ a i¼1 i¼1 i¼1 i¼1
(5)
c ¼ expðb=kÞ

where
Pw Pw 4.4. Energy price calculation
Pw i ¼ 1 xi i¼1 yi Pw Pw
i ¼ 1 xi yi 
w i ¼ 1 ðxi
 xÞ i ¼ 1 ðyi  yÞ
a ¼ !2 ¼ Pw 2
This subroutine is used to compute the ECF for each site and
Pw i ¼ 1 ðxi  xÞ each type of wind turbine.
i ¼ 1 xi
Pw 2
i ¼ 1 xi  4.5. ECF optimization subroutine
w
(6)
The purpose of this subroutine is to select the minimum value of
ECF and then determine the corresponding site and wind turbine
1 Xw
a X
w
b ¼ yi  axi ¼ y  x (7) type.
w i¼1 i w i¼1 i

and 5. Economic analysis method

yi ¼ lnð  lnð1  Fðui ÞÞÞ; The economic analysis proposed in this section is used to
(8)
xi ¼ lnðui Þ estimate the price of the generated unit energy from wind en-
ergy system. The estimation of the price of the generated kWh
depends on the accurate estimation of the wind speed data and
the costs of the components and the operating and maintenance
4.2. Capacity factor and average number of wind turbines
costs. The general purpose of such methods is not only to
calculation
determine the economic performance of a given design of wind
energy system, but also to compare it with conventional and
The purpose of this subroutine is to determine the Capacity
other renewable energy based systems and to match between
Factor, CF, and the average number of wind turbine generators,
the site and wind turbine depending on the minimum energy
ANWTG. The capacity factor can be obtained from the following
price. The following are different methods of overall economic
equation [13]:
analysis:
h i h i
exp  ðuc =cÞk  exp  ður =cÞk h
k i
CF ¼  exp  uf =c 5.1. Simplified economic analysis methods
k k
ður =cÞ  ðuc =cÞ
(9) There are two simplified methods are discussed in the following
The average power of wind turbine can be calculated as: sections. These methods provide fast feasibility study for installing
wind energy system and it can be used to make matching between
Peave ¼ CF $Per (10) site and wind turbines depending on the lowest price of the
generated kWh. These methods are representing simple but not
The average number of wind turbine generator can be calculated accurate techniques to calculate the price of the kWh generated
as: from wind energy system.

PLav 1) Simple payback period analysis

ANWT ¼ (11)
Peave
A payback calculation compares revenue with costs and de-
termines the length of time required to recoup an initial invest-
4.3. Energy balance subroutine ment. The simplest payback period (in years) can be obtained from
the following equations [15]:
The purpose of this subroutine is to determine the optimal
number of wind turbines required and the yearly energy gener- SP ¼ CC =AAR (17)
ated from the wind energy system. Then the optimum number of
wind turbines required and the energy output for each case can AAR ¼ Ea PE (18)
be obtained. The output power from wind energy system is given
by: SP ¼ CC =ðEa Pe Þ (19)
1 It should be pointed out that the calculation of simple payback
Pe ¼ r*At *u3 *Nt *h0 (12)
2 period omits many factors that may have a significant effect on the
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A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52 45

system economic cost effectiveness. These include escalating fuel XN

A A A 1
(in a hybrid power system) and loan costs, depreciation on capital PV ¼ þ þ :::::: þ ¼ A (25)
costs, operation & maintenance costs (O&M), and variations in the 1 þ r ð1 þ rÞ2
ð1 þ rÞN
j¼1 ð1 þ rÞj
value of delivered electricity. Some of these variables are attempted
to be included in some author’s calculations for a simple payback
period [16e19]. This method is a simplest method and it takes short
time to do the calculations and get the preliminary results and 3) Capital recovery factor
information.
The analysis team uses SP of 10 years or less to avoid assuming The capital recovery factor (CRF) is used to determine the
values for energy escalation rates and O&M inflation factors that amount of each future payment required to accumulate a given
are required for other life-cycle cost values [20]. present value when the discount rate and the number of payments
are known. Using Equation (25), the capital recovery factor is given
2) Cost of energy analysis by Ref. [15]:

 h i
The cost of energy (COE) is defined as the cost of the kWh r= 1  ð1 þ rÞN ; if rs0
generated from wind energy system. That is: CRF ¼ (26)
1=N if r ¼ 0
Operating costs
Cost of energy ¼ (20)
Energy produced
4) Net present value
The simplest calculation of COE is given by Ref. [15]:
The net present value (NPV) is defined as the sum of all relevant
COE ¼ ½ðCC *FCRÞ þ CO&M =Ea (21) present values. From Equation (22), the present value of a future
The fixed charge rate, FCR will generally reflect the interest on cost, C, evaluated at year j is [15]:
pays or the value of interest received if money were displaced from
savings. PV ¼ C=ð1 þ rÞj (27)
Thus, the NPV of a cost C to be paid each year for N years is [15]:
5.2. Life-cycle costing methods
X
N X
N
C
Life-cycle costing (LCC) is a commonly used method for the NPV ¼ PVi ¼ (28)
economic evaluation of energy producing systems based on the j¼1 j ¼ 1 ð1 þ rÞj
principles of the ‘time value’ of money. The following parameters
If the cost C is inflated at an annual rate i, the cost Cj in year j
are included in the LCC analysis:
becomes [15]:
1) Time value of money and present worth factor
Cj ¼ Cð1 þ iÞj (29)
A unit of currency that is to be paid (or spent) in the future will Thus, the net present value, NPV, becomes:
not have the same value as one available today. This is true even if
there is no inflation, since a unit of currency can be invested and N 
X 
bare interest. Thus its value is increased by the interest. The future
1þi j
NPV ¼ C (30)
value, FV, after N years is [15]: j¼1
1þr

The savings version of net present value, NPVs is defined as

FV ¼ PVð1 þ rÞN (22)
follows [15]:
The present worth factor, PWF is given by Ref. [15]:
N 
X 
1þi j
PWF ¼ PV=FV ¼ ð1 þ rÞ N
(23) NPVs ¼ ðS  CÞ (31)
j¼1
1þr

If only cost factors are considered, then a cost version of net

present value, NPVC, may be used. NPVC may be found from the
2) Levelizing following equation [15]:
   
Levelizing is a method for expressing costs or revenues that 1 1þi
NPVC ¼ pd þ pa Y ;N þ CC fOM Y ;L (32)
occur once or in irregular intervals as equivalent equal payments 1þr 1þr
at regular intervals. Considering a loan of value PVN is to be repaid
Levelized cost of energy (COEL) for the utility-based calculation
with a single payment FN at the end of N years. The payment is
of cost of energy can be given by Ref. [15]:
[21]:
P
ðLevelized annual costsÞ
FN ¼ PVN $ð1 þ rÞN (24) COEL ¼ (33)
Annual energy production
Using CRF and NPVC the COEL can be calculated by Ref. [5]:
A loan that is to be repaid in N equal installments can be
considered as the sum of N loans, one for each year, the jth loan
being repaid in a single installment A at the end of the jth year. ðNPVC CRF
COEL ¼ (34)
Thus, the value, PV, of the loan equals [21]: Annual energy production
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46 A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52
5.3. Electric utility based economic analysis
In the United States, electric utilities and the wind industry
commonly use either of following two methods to estimate the COE
from a utility-sized wind energy system:
1) EPRI TAG method
This method produces a simplest form for wind energy systems;
COE is calculated as [22]:
0 1

 sources.
B C Cc
COE ¼ FCR @ A þ CO&M
8760,CF
Since this method produces a levelized energy cost it can be
applied to a number of technologies, including conventional power
plants (with the addition of fuel costs) for a useful comparison
index. Some limitations of the EPRI TAG method include that it
assumes a debt term life equal to the life of the power plant and it
does not readily allow for variable equity return, variable debt
repayment, or variable costs.
2) Cash flow method
The cash flow method is based on the use of an accounting type
spreadsheet that requires an annual input of estimated income and
expenses over the lifetime of the project [23,24]. The cash flow
method allows for the real variations that can be expected in cost,
operational, and economic data, such as price increases, inflation,
and changing interest rates.
5.4. Levelized production cost (LPC)
In this method the cost components are assumed to be the
investment cost, operation and maintenance cost, repair
cost, salvage value and social cost. The following sections
introduce two approaches to calculate the levelized production
cost:
1) First approach
In this approach it is assumed that all costs are given in a fixed
currency for a specified year. The currency and cost level year
should be decided and clearly declared by the assessor when
reporting the estimated cost of energy. In these calculations all
costs are discounted to the present value. The discounted present
value of the total cost (TC) is given as [25]:
X
n [29]:
TC ¼ I þ ðO&Mt þ SCt þ RCt Þ$ð1 þ rÞt  SV$ð1 þ rÞn
t¼1
The levelized production cost is given as [25]:
X
n the O&M costs or a reduction in the annual energy output DEper, t
LPC ¼ TC= AUEt $ð1 þ rÞt
t¼1
In many cases one or more of the input parameters of this
approach will be known explicitly, and of course, the known figures
should be used whenever possible.
The investment (I) should include all the costs of constructing
the wind energy conversion systems.
The total investment can be calculated by Ref. [25]:
X
j
I ¼ Ii $ð1 þ rÞti (38)
i¼1
O&M costs depend on the number of wind turbines, the wind
turbine type and the site conditions. This method recommends
project specific estimates of the O&M costs to be specified for each
year of the scheme’s lifetime.
Social costs (SC) may be associated with environmental damage,
nuisance to people, etc. Sometimes social costs of wind energy
production are small or negligible, especially when compared to
those associated with energy generation from non-renewable
(35) Replacement cost (RC) or major repairs during the adopted
lifetime should be evaluated, and it is recommended that project
specific estimates are made of the timing and cost of possible major
repairs.
The salvage value (SV) is defined as the difference between the
scrap value and the decommissioning cost of the entire scheme at
the end of the lifetime adopted for the economic analysis.
The discount rate (r) defined as the rate at which the nominal
rate, i, exceeds the inflation rate, v, i.e. [25]:
1þi
1þr ¼ (39)
1þv
The relation between the annual utilized energy (AUEt) and the
annual net energy (ANEt) is described as [26]:
AUEt ¼ ANEt $Klost; t $Kutil; t (40)
AUEt ¼ ANEt $Klost; t $Kutil; t
¼ Epot $Kper; t $Ksite; t $Kava; t $Klost; t $Kutil; t (41)
The annual potential energy output (Epot) of a wind turbine
experiencing specific meteorological conditions is given by Ref.
[25]:
ZN
Epot ¼ 8760$ pðuÞ$f u du (42)
0
The wind speed distribution f(u) should ideally be based on
many years of on-site wind speed measurements, but in practice it
will often be necessary to extrapolate long term wind data from
nearby high quality measurement stations, using for instance the
wind atlas method [27], or by applying the statistical “measure-
correlate-predict” approach [28].
The power curve p(u) normally gives the net power output for
standard air density conditions and for carefully selected weather.
For a stall regulated wind turbine, p(u) can be calculated by Ref.
r
p u ¼ pðuÞstd $ (43)
1:225
(36)
The performance of a wind turbine may be reduced due to dirt,
rain or ice on the blades. Cleaning of the blades must be included in
(37) relative to the potential output must be assumed. The wind turbine
performance factor Kpert, t can be calculated as [30]:
DEper; t
Kpert; t ¼ 1  (44)
Epot
In some cases the site surroundings may change with time due
to erection of new wind turbines, tree planting, construction of new
houses, etc. thus influencing the wind speed distribution and the
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A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52 47

energy output from the wind turbine. In such cases, the reduction

2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
in annual energy output, DEsite, t,due to the changed surroundings

8%
should take into account. The annual reduction may be expressed

7%
by means of the site factor Ksite, t as [30]:

DEsite; t

5%
Ksite; t ¼ 1  (45)
Epot $Kper; t

70%
The technical availability factor Kava, t is defined by the energy
loss DEava, t due to the wind turbine availability as:
Wind Turbines Electrical Installations Grid Connections
DEava;t
Kava;t ¼ 1  (46) Civil Work Land Rent Project Management
Epot $Kper;t $Ksite;t Insurance Consultancy Financial Cost

The annual electrical transmission losses factor Klos, t can be Fig. 2. Fair range of the cost share of different components of the wind energy system
calculated as [25]: for commercial size wind turbine.

DElos; t
Klos; t ¼ 1  (47) wind energy system components, but an approximate cost analysis
ANEt
methodology can be used in this paper. This methodology was
Kutil is the utilization factor and defined as [25]: applied to determine the cost per kWh in each type of wind turbine
and each site. This method is simple, efficiently and used to
DEutil; t
Kutil; t ¼ 1  (48) compare the cost of energy from alternative generating devices.
ANEt $Klos; t From the fourth subroutine the total price of kW generated by
wind turbine approximately equal to $700 per kW (based on year of
2010). The total price of microprocessor is $2.3 per kW, the total
price of main substation is $10.4 per kW, the total price of modem
2) Second approach for remote control in central control station is about $4.16 per kW
and the total price of transmission line is about $1.3 per kW. Then:
This approach assumes that the annual utilized energy to be
constant from year to year (i.e. AUEt ¼ AUE for t ¼ 1 to n). In such TPWTG ¼ $700*NWTG*Pr (52)
case, the LPC can be calculated as [25]:

LPC ¼ I=ða$AUEÞ þ TOM=AUE (49) TPMIC ¼ $2:3*NWTG*Pr (53)

a is the annuity factor and is defined as [25]: TPMS ¼ $10:4*NWTG*Pr (54)

X
n
.
a ¼ 1= ð1 þ rÞt ¼ 1  ð1 þ rÞn r (50) TPCCS ¼ $4:16*NWTG*Pr (55)
t¼1

TOM is the total levelized annual “down line costs” and is TPTL ¼ $1:3*NWTG*Pr (56)
defined as [25]:
The cost of the operation and maintenance is about 10% of the
X
n total cost. Then:
TOM ¼ a1 $ ðOMt þ SCt þ RCt Þð1 þ rÞt  SVð1 þ rÞn
t ¼1
Total Price ¼ 1:1*ðTPWTG þ TPMIC þ TPMS þ TPRC þ TPCCS
(51)
þ TPTLÞ
(57)

6. Economic performance sensitivity analysis Total Price ¼ 1:1*ð718:16*NWTG*PrÞ (58)

The previous sections have described a number of techniques to Total Price*LF

determine the economic performance parameters that can be used
to evaluate various wind systems, or to compare their performance
with other types of power system. These economic techniques have
different evaluation ideas and different assumptions. One of these
techniques may be suitable for certain project and the other may
not suitable.
The cost share of different components of the wind energy
system for commercial size wind turbines (from 2 to 5 MW) is
shown in Fig. 2 [31,32]. This price range may differ from country to
country.
The cost of kWh produced is very important for the consumers
and power companies to return a profit on the capital invested. It is
very difficult to determine an accurate cost of the kWh generated
due to the variation of wind speed and changing in the price of
ECF ¼ (59)
YE*0:9
At 12% interest and 10 year recovery time, LF ¼ 0.177.
7. Summary of the output results
Many results have been extracted from the proposed computer
program. Each part in the computer program can provide the re-
searchers with a lot of helpful information due to the wide input.
The results of this computer program have been checked with the
results obtained from software packages used in this application
such as Homer and Retscreen. The following is the summary of the
output results:
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48 A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52

16 3.5
data 2
linear
15
Rated wind speed, ur

Shape Parameter, k
Yanbou
14 3 Yanbou
Dohloum
Dohloum
13 Dahhran
Dahhran
12 Riyadh
2.5 Riyadh
Qaysoma
11 Qaysoma

10 2
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
Cut-in wind speed Hub Height

Fig. 3. The relation between the rated and cut-in wind speeds. Fig. 5. A relation between the shape parameter, k along with the hub height, h of wind
turbines for five sites under study.

1) From the data of one hundred wind turbines, the relation be-
get the scale parameter for any site from its average wind speed
tween the rated and cut-in wind speed is shown in Fig. 3. The
from the following relation:
relation between the rated wind speed and cut-in wind speed
is obtained by linear interpolation and the equation is shown in
c ¼ 1:1064*Uav  0:49812 (61)
(60). This curve shows design constraints for the rated and cut
in wind speed. Many references have introduces a relation between scale pa-
rameters and average wind speed. O.A. Jaramillo [33] uses Gamma
function to predict this relation as shown in (62). The results ob-
Vr ¼ 1:2679 Vc þ 8:5227 (60) tained from Ref. [33] are typically aligned on the curve shown in
It is clear from Fig. 3 that the rated wind speed is directly pro- Fig. 11. G. L. Johnson [34],E. L. Skidmore [35] gives another linear
portional to cut-in wind speed. Also, the minimum cut-in and rated relation between scale parameters and average wind speed as
wind speed is 2.5 m/s and 10 m/s respectively. The maximum cut-in shown in (63).
and rated wind speed is 4 m/s and 15 m/s respectively.  
Uav 1
Relations between scale and shape parameters along with the ¼ G 1þ (62)
hub height, h of wind turbine are shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 c k
respectively. Fig. 4 shows that the value of scale parameter, c is
directly proportional to the hub height, h. This relation is very c ¼ 1:12*Uav (63)
useful in case of it is required to obtain the value of scale parameter,
The relation between the shape parameter and average wind
c at any height. It is also clear from Fig. 5 that the shape parameter, k
is almost constant for different hub heights. Also it is clear that the speed for five-sites under study is shown in Fig. 7. It is clear from
this figure that the shape parameter, k is directly proportional to the
value of shape parameter, k is directly proportional to the hub
average wind speed of the site, Uav but the change in shape
height with very low slope where the change in value of k is less
parameter; k is very limited with change in average wind speed.
than 5% in the range of hub height.
The relation between shape and scale parameters for five sites
The relation between the scale parameter and average wind
and one hundred wind turbines under study is shown in Fig. 8.
speed for three-sites under study is shown in the following Fig. 6. It
From this figure it is clear that, the relation is linear but differs from
is clear from this figure that the scale parameter, c is directly pro-
site to site. This relation is shown in many references [35] as a single
portional to the average wind speed of the site, V for all sites. Also, it
is clear that the linear relation between scale and average wind
speed lie on a linear relation in ideal way for all sites. So it is easy to 10
C=1.1064*uav-0.49812

9
8.5

8
Scale Parameter, C

8
7.5
Scale Parame te r,C

7 7
Yanbou
Yanbou
6.5
Dohloum
Dohloum 6
6 Dahhran
Dahhran
5.5 Riyadh
Riyadh
5
5 Qaysoma
Qaysoma
4.5 4
40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hub Height Average wind speed

Fig. 4. A relation between the scale parameter, c along with the hub height, h of wind Fig. 6. The relation between scale parameter and average wind speed for five-sites and
turbines for five sites under study. one hundred wind turbines under study.
 Author's personal copy

A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52 49

3.5
Yanbo
Yanbo
Douhlom
Douhlom
Shape Parameter, k

3 Dahhran
Dahhran
Riyadh
Riyadh
Qayssuma
Qayssuma
2.5

2
4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9
Average wind Speed

Fig. 7. The relation between shape parameter, k and the average wind speed for five
sites and one hundred wind turbines. Fig. 9. The relation between average wind speed of site, rated wind speed of wind
turbine and the capacity factor, CF.

relation as shown in the following equation (64) [35] which is not

correct for all sites.
k ¼ 0:52 þ 0:23c
The generation of electrical energy by wind turbine at a specific
site depends upon many factors. For a given wind site, the following
parameters should be known or can be calculated, the mean wind
speed and Weibull scale parameter (c) and shape parameter (k).
Also, for specific wind turbine the performance parameters should
be known that include: cut-in (uc), rated (ur), and furling (uf) wind
speeds, the hub height, and the rated power. The rated speed is the
most important for wind turbine deign. If the rated speed is chosen
too low to utilize the low wind speeds, much energy will be lost in
the higher wind speed. On the contrary, if the rated speed is too
high, the turbine seldom operates at its rated capacity and also will
lose too much energy at lower wind speed. This means the rated
speed has to be selected such that the turbine yields higher energy.
To achieve this condition a suitable relation between the site
parameter (such as average wind speed) and rated wind speed (as
wind turbine parameter) with the capacity factor, CF is obtained to
get the condition for maximum capacity factor as shown in Fig. 9.
This relation is drawn for five sites and one hundred wind turbine
under study. From this figure it is clear that the capacity factor is
increasing considerably with increasing the average wind speed
and slightly increasing with reducing the rated speed. This is cor-
rect in the normal operating range.
In extending the operation of the wind turbine beyond the
normal operating range, the capacity factor increases with
increasing the ratio of average and rated wind speed till Uav/ur
equal approximately to 1.22 as shown in Fig. 10. After this value any
increase in the ratio Uav/ur will reduce the capacity factor of the
wind turbine. The critical value of 1.22 is the average condition for
(64)
the five sites under study. The normal operating is always below
this value in most cases.
The results of energy price along with the capacity factor of the
five sites are shown in Fig. 11. It is clear from this figure that the
energy price inversely proportional to the capacity factor.
The energy unit price in Cents/kWh for five sites along with
average wind speed and Uav/ur and one hundred wind turbines is
shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 respectively. It is clear from this figure
that the price of generated kWh is inversely proportional to Uav/ur.
The price of kWh generated from five sites and the best five out
of one hundred wind turbines are shown in Table 1 and Fig. 14. The
best wind turbine for each site and the price of kWh generated in
this matching is shown in Table 2. Its clear from these tables that
the lowest price for kWh is stand for Dhahran site and KMW-ERNO
wind turbine which is 5.85 (Cents/kWh). So, it can be said that the
best site for wind energy system installation is Dhahran and the
best wind turbine is KMW-ERNO. This wind turbine also is the best
wind turbine for Qaisumah and Dhulom sites with 6.06 and 7.06
(Cents/kWh) respectively. This wind turbine (KMW-ERNO) does not
give the minimum ECF for the other two sites (Yanbo and Riyadh),
where the minimum ECF for these two sites are in using of Acciona-
6 and GE Energy 2 wind turbines with 5.97 and 12.81 (Cents/kWh)
respectively. So, it is recommended to use KMW-ERNO wind tur-
bines in Dhahran, Qaisumah, and Dhulom sites and to use Acciona-6
and GE Energy 2 wind turbines in Yanbo and Riyadh respectively. It
is clear from Table 1 and Fig. 14 that Dhahran, Yanbo, and Qaisumah

3.5
0.8 Simulation Results
Yanbou Curve fitting
Yanbou
Capacity factor, CF

Dohloum
0.6
shape Parameter,k

3 Dohloum
Dahhran
Dahhran
Riyadh
Riyadh 0.4
Qaysoma
Qaysoma
2.5
0.2

0
2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5
Scale Parameter , c Uav/Ur
Fig. 8. The relation between shape parameter and scale parameters for five sites and Fig. 10. The relation between Uav/ur and capacity factor for five sites and one hundred
one hundred wind turbines. wind turbines under study.
 Author's personal copy

50 A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52

35 Table 1
Yanbou The energy price in Cents/kWh for five sites and best five out of one hundred wind
Douhlom turbines.
30 Dahhran
Riyadh ECF Dhahran Yanbo Qaisumah Dhulom Riyadh
Energy Price (Cents/kWh)

Qaysoma KMW_ERNO 5.85 5.98 6.06 7.06 13.11

25
Acciona-6 6.02 5.97 6.36 7.24 12.87
GE Energy 2 6.06 6.10 6.49 7.34 12.81
Goldwind_3 6.12 6.06 6.52 7.42 13.32
20
GE_Energy_3 6.28 6.17 6.63 7.5 13.22

15

10

5
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4
Capacity Factor, CF

Fig. 11. The energy price in Cents/kWh for five sites along with the capacity factor for
one hundred wind turbines under study.

30
Simulation Results
Energy Price (Cents/kWh)

25 Curve Fitting

20

15

10 Fig. 14. The energy price in Cents/kWh for five sites and best five out of one hundred
wind turbines.

5
4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 Table 2
Average Wind Speed The best WTG and ECF value for each site.

Site The best WTG ECF

Fig. 12. The energy price in Cents/kWh for five sites along with average wind speed for
one hundred wind turbines under study. Yanbo Acciona_6 5.97
Dhulom KMW-ERNO 7.07
Dhahran KMW-ERNO 5.85
Riyadh GE-Energy-2 12.81
are the best sites and the highest price for kWh is associated with
Qaisumah KMW-ERNO 6.06
Riyadh. It is clear that the price of kWh generated in Riyadh is twice
its value if we install the wind energy system in Dhahran, Yanbo, or
Qaisumah. So, it is not recommended to install wind energy system 8. Conclusions
in Riyadh.
The calculation of kWh generated from wind energy system is
30
the main factor which determines the visibility of installing wind
Simulation Results energy system in any site. Wind turbine can be suitable for one site
Curve Fitting and may not suitable for the other site. Matching between the site
Energy Price (Cents/kWh)

25 and wind turbine is important before starting installing wind tur-

bines in any country. In this study five sites in Saudi Arabia are used
to select the best one and one hundred market available wind
20
turbines. A proposed computer program is introduced in this paper
to handle the whole steps of the design of the wind energy system
15 in very short time. Unlimited numbers of sites and wind turbines
can be used with this computer program. The salient results from
this paper show that the best site from the five sites under study is
10
Dhahran and the suitable wind turbine for this site is KMW-ERNO
with 5.85 Cents/kWh. The worst site to install wind energy system
5 is Riyadh with minimum price of kWh of 12.81 Cents/kWh in case
0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 of using GE Energy 2 wind turbine. This shows clearly that the price
Uav/Ur
of kWh generated in Riyadh is twice its value if we install the wind
Fig. 13. The energy price in Cents/kWh for five sites along with (Uav/ur) for one hun- energy system in Dhahran. So it is not recommended to install wind
dred wind turbines under study. energy system in Riyadh. KMW-ERNO wind turbine is the best wind
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A.M. Eltamaly / Renewable Energy 60 (2013) 42e52 51

turbine for Qaisumah and Dhulom sites with 6.06 and 7.06 (Cents/ PV the present value.
kWh) respectively. This wind turbine (KMW-ERNO) does not give PWF the present worth factor.
the minimum ECF for the other two sites (Yanbo and Riyadh), r the discount rate.
where the minimum ECF for these two sites are in using of Acciona- SP the simple payback period.
6 and GE Energy 2 wind turbines with 5.97 and 12.81 (Cents/kWh) TC the total cost.
respectively. So, it is recommended to use KMW-ERNO wind tur- ti the years before the start of commercial operation of the
bines in Dhahran, Qaisumah, and Dhulom sites and to use Acciona-6 wind power installation.
and GE Energy 2 wind turbines in Yanbo and Riyadh respectively. TOM the total levelized annual “down line cost”.
TPCCS the total price of remote control in central control station.
Acknowledgments TPMIC the total price of controllers.
TPMS the total price of main substation.
The authors acknowledge the National Plan for Sciences and TPTL the total price of transmission line.
Technology program (Project No.08-ENE226-02) by King Saud TPWTG the total price of wind turbines.
University for the financial support to carry out the research work Uav the mean wind speed m/s.
reported in this paper. Uav/ur The ratio of average and rated wind speed.
uc the cut-in speed.
Lists of symbols and Abbreviations uf the cutoff speed.
ur the rated speed.
WTG wind turbine generator.
DElos, t the annual electrical transmission loss. r the corrected monthly air density Kg/m3.
CO&M the cost of operation and maintenance normalized per
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