Wind profile assessment at Masitise and Sani in Lesotho for potential off-grid electricity generation

Moeketsi Mpholo, Tebello Mathaba, Mosuoe Letuma

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Wind profile of two sites, one on the southern part of Lesotho, Masitise (-30.367445° latitude, 27.669641° longitude, 1700 m altitude), and the other on the eastern part, Sani (-29.58273° latitude, 29.287845° longitude, 2900 m altitude), was analysed. Wind speed measurements for Masitise are taken at both 10 m and 25 m above ground level (a.g.l.) while for Sani anemometers are only placed at 9 m a.g.l. Both sites fall under the zero roughness class with bi-annual wind speed of 4.93 m/s and 5.50 m/s at 10 m and 9 m a.g.l., respectively. Moreover, their power densities are given by 121.6 W/m2 and 221.3 W/m2. A model using Weibull distribution function is used to analyse the wind speed profile. The results compare well with the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP). According to the global wind power classification, Masitise is a class 2 site while the windier site of Sani falls under class 3. Masitise may not be ideal for grid-connected electricity production but both sites have sufficient wind for off-grid electricity production. On average the turbines will be generating 80% and 75% of the time per annum at Masitise and Sani, respectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)118-127
Number of pages10
JournalEnergy Conversion and Management
Volume53
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Electricity
  • Masitise
  • Power density
  • Sani
  • Weibull distribution
  • Wind assessment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Wind profile assessment at Masitise and Sani in Lesotho for potential off-grid electricity generation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this