Effects of seasonality and locality on the operating capacity benefits of wind power

The output power from a wind turbine generator mainly depends on the instantaneous wind speed at the turbine blades and therefore the selection of the site is an important consideration. The actual wind speed profile is unique to the wind site due to the site topography and other physical factors. The operating capacity benefits associated with a wind farm are therefore site specific. This paper illustrates the effect of seasonal and topographical changes in wind profiles on the peak load carrying capability of a wind farm. The operating capacity benefits are assessed using a probabilistic technique and illustrated by application to a small but practical test system. A model for forecasting short term wind speed uncertainty distributions is illustrated and utilized to calculate the increase in peak load carrying capability attributable to wind power in the wind integrated system.