This paper analyses the potential utilization of wind electric pumping for water distribution in off-grid locations of the North Region of Cameroon (NRoC), using ground measured data as well as long-term satellite-derived data. Furthermore, this paper puts emphasis on statistical indexes of accuracy for the comparison of measured (2007–2012) and long-term satellite-derived (2005–2020) data. The outcome of this study clearly indicates that long-term satellite-derived data, obtained through the Prediction of Worldwide Renewable Energy Resources, can be considered as a viable alternative to missing site-specific data from ground stations, mainly in developing countries. The accuracy of satellite-based wind resource is deemed sufficient to provide a reasonable assessment in the initial phase of wind project planning, before in situ measurements with high accuracy are available. To model wind speeds characteristics, the energy pattern factor method (EPF) has been utilized as one of the reliable Weibull distribution methods for the assessment of wind energy potential at desired turbines heights in the selected locations. Five 20-kW pitch-controlled wind turbines (WT) with a hub height of 30 m, are considered to evaluate the power output and energy produced. Volumetric flow rates and costs of water produced are estimated. The results showed that, out of the eight chosen locations, Figuil shows the best combination of capacity factors (CF) and costs of energy (COE), while the site of Poli displays the worst values of CF and COE, no matter which of the five WT is employed. Thus, selecting WT for low wind speeds regimes, should require to combine location wind resource and WT characteristics such as lower cut-in wind speed (1.5 m/s) as well as lower rated wind speed (8.0 m/s) in order to successfully and affordably implement the wind technology in the NRoC.
Solar panels are oriented to the North (South) when the site is in the South (North) with a tilt angle close to the latitude. In the equatorial zone, the panels are quasi-horizontally arranged. This situation caused some problems: the panel is more rapidly covered with dust or salty mud that decreases its performance and degrades the protective glass. To overcome these difficulties, we evaluated theoretically and practically the energy lost by an incorrect tilt. The results are rather encouraging. Just 1.5% of total energy is lost when we tilted the panel at 10.0°. In practice, we realized that the loss of energy is fewer than we calculated it because of the reflected solar rays.
Abstract:The general idea of this work is to improve the performance of CAES (compressed air energy storage) for its application in solar and wind systems through a restitution technique by creating an artificial wind. The efficiency of compressed air storage is often presented as a limit to its application. The present work describes a series of manipulations carried out in order to increase the yield. As the action of the artificial wind on the wind turbine is characterized by a reduced attack surface, a treated wind, a constant direction, an adjustable speed, it is therefore a question of acting on all the controllable parameters of the artificial wind to find the best way to use it to produce more energy from a certain quantity stored in a tank. The main manipulations consisted in determining: the optimal number of points of attack of the wind turbine; the nature of the action (continuous or interrupted) of the wind; the frequency of wind action and the duty cycle.
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