An analysis of wind energy potential and economic evaluation in Zahedan, Iran

Most people would produce their own clean local energy if it were easy and affordable. When a renewable energy system is installed, there is an upfront cost that can be partially or completely offset by various ways. Purpose of this study is to assess wind energy potential for the city of Zahedan in southeast part of Iran. Five-year (2003–2007) wind data has been analyzed to obtain wind power density and wind energy potential. Weibull density function has been used to determine the wind power density and energy of the region. Yearly mean Weibull parameters, k and c, were 1.155 and 3.401 (m/s). Obtained wind power and energy densities are 89.184 W/m2, and 781.252 kWh/m2 respectively. In short, economic evaluation and analysis of four different wind turbines are presented in this paper. In order to utilize wind energy, it is recommended to install Proven 2.5 kW model wind turbine in the region which is the most cost efficient option.