WIND ENERGY RESOURCE POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT IN A HILLY TERRAIN OF INDIA USING WASP

A wind resource potential assessment of a hilly terrain in the western Himalayan region of India was carried out using the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP) for the first time. The wind speed characteristics, power density, and Weibull parameters were determined. The results show that there is an increase in the power density from January to May, and the contribution of relatively higher wind speeds is observed to be greater during the winter months. The frequency of higher wind speeds is found to increase from September to May. The high-resolution data analysis shows higher wind speeds in the range of 3−12 m/s during different periods of the year, but the average wind speed is found to be ~2 m/s, showing those locations as low-wind-speed regions. The annual directional variability shows that the prevalent winds are from the south in summers and from the north during winters. The southern direction contributes 12.9%, and the north, north−northeast, and north−northwest together contribute 31.5% toward the prevalent wind regime at the site. The turbulence intensity is found to be high during July, August, and September. The shear wind profile analysis was carried out at 18.5 m, 50 m, and 100 m heights. The percentage of increase in wind speed at 50 and 100 m heights was found to be 15.3% and 27%, respectively. A wind profile map of the region was generated which identifies high- and low-wind-speed locations. The methodology followed can be used to identify the wind resource potential for low-wind-speed regions worldwide.