Economic evaluation of small wind turbine utilization in Kerman, Iran

• Wind potential for city of Kerman in Iran was analyzed.
• The measured data and Weibull distribution function were used for statistical examination.
• Payback period method was used for economic evaluations.
• Three different turbines with powers from 300 to 1000 W were examined.
• The site was found to be suitable for small wind turbines for different purposes.

Renewable energy sources are expected to have a flourishing future and an important role in many countries as well as Iran. The purpose of this study is to offer economic evaluation of small wind turbine installation for city of Kerman in southeastern part of Iran. A long term data source, consisting of 14 years (1991–2004) of three-hourly mean wind data, was adopted and analyzed. Mean wind power based on measured data and Weibull distribution function as well as the relative percentage error (RPE) between obtained values of wind power based on two methods have been studied. It was found that Weibull distribution was unsuitable for this study. Based on these data, it was found that the numerical values of the shape and scale parameters for Kerman varied over a wide range. Annual values of “k” ranged from 1.266 to 1.473 with a mean value of 1.375, while annual values of “c” were in the range of 2.504–3.478 with a mean value of 3.000 m/s. The annual mean wind speed of the city is obtained as 2.743 m/s at 10 m height. Wind power densities have been estimated and relatively low for large wind turbines. This paper analyses economic evaluation and applications of three small wind turbines. The results show that Kerman has an available wind energy potential in order to install some small wind turbine models for the sustainable development of Kerman.