Wind Resource Potential at Pak Panang and Chian Yai Districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Abstract

This research presents an analysis of wind energy potential at Pakpanang and Chianyai districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat province using computational fluid dynamics modeling and bi-measured input data in WindSim 5.0.1. computer program. Microscale wind resource maps were verified by the comparison of the observed wind speed and the predicted wind speed in order to analyse an error. Wind speed and direction at 60 m, 70 m, and 80 m were measured every 10 min between January to December 2010. Results showed that wind speed at 60 m, 70 m and 80 m was 3.94 m/s, 4.12 m/s and 4.23 m/s at Pakpanang district and was 3.84 m/s, 4.06 m/s and 4.23 m/s at Chianyai district. Microscale wind resource map verification found that an percentage of discrepancy was less than 5%