A new statistical based energetic-economic methodology for wind turbine systems evaluation

The present paper deals with the implementation of a new statistical based methodology for energetic and economic evaluation of wind turbine systems without using anemometric measurements for specific installation sites. In particular, the procedure aims at the evaluation of single small wind turbine, as well as small wind turbine fields. The choice of using small wind turbines is due to the impact of the wind velocity measurements from both the cost and the time-needed point of view. Monte Carlo Method was used to study statistically the effects of wind velocity variability on wind turbines energy production and consequently on the economic performance of the system. Starting from the average wind velocity for the site, the type of the site (plain, hill, mountain, etc.), as well as the height of the turbine, the procedure analyses different wind velocity statistical distributions (based on Weibull distribution) to obtain energy production and then investment profitability. In order to test the methodology a case study was analysed using both classical (using one year of wind velocity measurements) and new procedure (using only the average value of the wind velocity for the same installation site). On the basis of the results it is possible to state that the new methodology is able to determine the Net Present Value of the investment showing small differences between new and classical procedure.