Estimation of wind energy potential of Benin City, Nigeria using data from two weather stations

Abstract

Lack of adequate supply of electricity is one of the major challenges faced by Nigeria. In this study, wind energy potential of Benin City, Nigeria was analyzed using wind data from two stations. Wind data for seven years (2009-2015) measured at the height of 10 m above the ground surface was obtained from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Benin City. Wind speed data was similarly collected from National Centre for Energy and Environment (NCEE), located also in Benin City. The two sets of data followed the same seasonal pattern. The highest  monthly average wind speed for the two stations occurred in the month of August with NIMET  recording 1.40 m/s and NCEE  having 1.46 m/s. The wind energy density using Weibull probability distribution shows that Benin City has the potential of generating a maximum monthly energy density of 2.62 KWh/m² based on the data from NIMET while the data from NCEE shows that a maximum monthly energy density of 3.63kWh/m² can be produced. The two sets of data provided opportunity for comparison and validation. The result obtained showed that Benin City has low wind profile which makes wind turbine commercially not viable.