The potential and economic viability of wind farms in Ghana
ENERGY SOURCES PART A-RECOVERY UTILIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS, vol.38, no.5, pp.695-701, 2016 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 38 Issue: 5
- Publication Date: 2016
- Doi Number: 10.1080/15567036.2015.1122680
- Journal Name: ENERGY SOURCES PART A-RECOVERY UTILIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
- Page Numbers: pp.695-701
- Keywords: Capacity factor, Ghana, renewable energy, wind energy, wind speed, ENERGY
- Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
The current load shedding in Ghana has led to decreasing productivity leading to economic and social crisis due to Ghana's dependency on hydroelectric power as its main source of power. Incorporating renewable energy sources to the grid installed capacity will ease the burden on Ghanaians. In this study, the potentiality and economic feasibility of wind farm project were evaluated in 11 locations in Ghana. The study employed wind-speed data using Meteonorm 7 software in a Typical Meteorological Year 2 format and analyzed with RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis modeling software. 10 MW of VESTAS V90 Wind turbine model with a rated power of 2,000 kW was proposed, which, when developed and harnessed, will drastically boost productivity of businesses, industries, and the transport sector in Ghana whilst making significant contribution to the export earnings of the country.