STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF WIND SPEED AND EVALUATION OF WIND POWER DENSITY FOR COLABA, MUMBAI

The fuel energy resources around the globe are declining at a faster rate. The greenhouse gases emitted in the process of harnessing energy from the non-renewable resources such as coal, fossil-fuel and radioactive substances cause the global warming and there is a danger of climate change. All these factors compel the researchers to explore renewable sources for power generation. Wind is a renewable resource, which is available naturally and is practically inexhaustible. In this study, the hourly wind data collected between the years 2013 to 2015 is evaluated. The wind data at the height of 11 m was obtained from a wind station at the Indian Meteorological Department, Colaba (Mumbai, India). The highest monthly wind speed measured was 5.11 m/s and the yearly average was found to be 2.72 m/s. various distribution functions were statistically analyzed and it was observed that the Two-parameter Weibull distribution gives the best fit to the actual data. The mean wind power density was 73.013 W/m2. The maximum wind speeds can be observed between the months of June and September. The wind data analysis shows that if a domestic wind turbine is installed at this site, it will generate enough energy for power saving. This paper aims to promote the growth of small wind power plant in a developing country like India.