Sizing of a wind charger at minimum cost for remote housing electrification: A case study for nine coastal sites in Malaysia

In this research, the feasibility of small wind chargers for remote housing electrification in Malaysia is examined. Hourly wind speed data for nine coastal sites in Malaysia namely Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuching, Kudat, Mersing, Sandakan, Tawau and Pulau Langkawi are used. The proposed wind charger is supposed to supply night lighting load (84 Wh/day) with 1% loss of load probability. Mathematical models for the wind turbine and the storage battery in the proposed system are developed using MATLAB. However, the results show that the cost of the energy produced by the proposed wind charger is in the range of 0.38–0.83 USD/kWh. Such system is helpful for remote housing electrification in Malaysia.

► We analyzed the wind speed for nine sites in Malaysia. ► We proposed a sizing method for wind charger considering sites in Malaysia. ► We studied the feasibility of the wind charger for remote housing electrification. ► We recommended sizing factors for wind charger systems in the selected sites.