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The wind farm development is very slow in the developing countries particularly in the Middle East. This is attributed to many factors including economy of these countries which is mainly rely on fossil fuels and hence yields to low cost of energy, political and technological barriers, lack of wind potential studies or lack of high wind regions and more. This paper attempts to address these issues and foresees opportunities for developing household or small communities wind farms which can be rely on individual or small communities’ funds as well as creating job opportunities for them. As the case study, the province of Sistan-Baluchestan in Iran is considered to study how the economy of local communities or households can be strengthen by exploring small wind turbine developments for them. An economic and statistical analysis is conducted based on wind data for cities of Chabahar, Dehak, and Dalgan in the province. Wind energy characteristics and patterns are extensively explored for these cities from 473,040 wind data samples. This is resulted in the average annual wind power density of 181 W / m 2 , 158 W / m 2 , and 146 W / m 2 , for Chabahar, Dalgan, and Dehak, respectively at the height of 40 m. By considering five different commercial wind turbines, from 1.6 to 30 kW capacities, the total annual electrical power production, profits and payback time for each wind turbine is presented. It is concluded that nearly 90,000 households can benefit from profit of annual energy production of 225 GWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Iran, as a developing country, will be confronted with a significant increase in electricity demand in future years. Being a petroleum producing country has resulted in extreme subsidies for energy production from fossilized resources such as oil and gas. This issue is one of the most important factors regarding underdevelopment of renewable energies in Iran. Expansive use of fossil resources in providing the necessary energy has resulted in Iran being among the 20 countries that have a share in the 75% spread of greenhouse gases. This issue has resulted in greater attention on behalf of the energy sectors policy makers regarding renewable energies, especially wind. Awareness regarding the current condition of each system is the first step for optimum policy making. On this basis, analyzing Iran''s wind conditions and assessing its technological capabilities is considered a pre-requisite for the wind sectors policy making. This paper aims at studying Iran''s wind energy status in the form of available capacities, power production, wind power plant characteristics, principal agents and existing protective laws. Also, the main focus of this paper is on evaluating Iran''s potential and effective technological capabilities for producing the main parts of wind turbines in different sizes. In order to fulfill this task, sector-level technological capabilities are defined. Then by analyzing active organizations in this field, Iran''s capability level will be determined and by comparing it with the ideal conditions, Iran''s technological gaps will be identified. The reasons for the creation of such shortcomings will also be introduced from different aspects in the form of the Atlas model. Finally, Iran''s potential capabilities in resolving technological shortcomings will be identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyses the wind speed of some major cities in province of Yazd which is located in central part of Iran. Also, the feasibility study of implementing wind turbines to take advantage of wind power is reviewed and then the subject of wind speed and wind potential at different stations is considered. This paper utilized wind speed data over a period of almost 13 years between 1992 and 2005 from 11 stations, to assess the wind power potential at these sites. In this paper, the hourly measured wind speed data at 10m, 20m and 40m height for Yazd province have been statically analyzed to determine the potential of wind power generation. Extrapolation of the 10m data, using the Power Law, has been used to determine the wind data at heights of 20m and 40m. The results showed that most of the stations have annual average wind speed of less than 4.5m/s which is considered as unacceptable for installation of the wind turbines. City of Herat has higher wind energy potential with annual wind speed average of 5.05m/s and 6.86m/s, respectively, at height of 10m and 40m above ground level (AGL). This site is a good candidate for remote area wind energy applications. But some more information is required, because the collected data for Herat is only for 2004. Cities of Aghda with 3.96m/s, Gariz with 3.95m/s, and Maybod with 3.83m/s annual wind speed average at height of 10m above ground level are also able to harness wind by installing small wind turbines. The Tabas and Bafgh sites wind speed data indicated that the two sites have lower annual wind speed averages between 1.56m/s and 2.22m/s at 10m height. The monthly and annual wind speeds at different heights have been studied to ensure optimum selection of wind turbine installation for different stations in Yazd. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Climate change, global warming, and the recent worldwide economic crisis have emphasized the need for low carbon emissions while also ensuring economic feasibility. In this paper, the status and wind power potential of the city of Shahrbabak in Kerman province in Iran was investigated. The technical and economical feasibility of wind turbine installation is presented. The potential of wind power generation was statistically analyzed. The mean wind speed data of three-hour interval long term period from 1997 to 2005 was adopted and analyzed in order to determine the potential of wind power generation. The numerical values of the dimensionless Weibull shape parameter (k) and Weibull scale parameter (c) were determined. Annual values of “k” ranged from 1.725 to 1.930 with a mean value of 1.504, while annual values of “c” were in the range of 4.848–6.095 with a mean value of 5.314 (m/s). With the average wind power density of 100W/m2, it is found that the city is not an appropriate place for construction of large-scale wind power plants, but is suitable for employment of off-grid electrical and mechanical wind driven systems. An economic evaluation was done in order to show feasibility of installing small wind turbines. It was concluded that it costs 18 cents for 1kWh which is 5 cents more than the market price. Each turbine of 10kW can supply power for icebox, washer, water pump, TV, lighting, electrical fan, charger, and air conditioning units for small houses. In order to utilize wind energy in the region, it is recommended to install small size wind turbines for electricity supply of public and public buildings and private houses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, the 3-h period measured wind speed data for years 2003–2007 at 10m, 30m and 40m heights for one of the provinces of Iran. Semnan have been statistically analyzed to determine the potential of wind power generation. This paper presents the wind energy potential at five towns in the province – Biarjmand, Damghan, Garmsar, Semnan, and Shahrood. Extrapolation of the 10m data, using the Power Law, has been used to determine the wind data at heights of 30m and 40m. From the primary evaluation and determining mean wind speed and also weibull distribution, it is found that Damghan has better potential for using wind energy in the province. Thus concentrated on Damghan town and its sites – Moalleman, Haddadeh and also Kahak of Garmsar (only had Meteorological stop) using a 10-min time step wind speed and wind direction data for three measured heights. Between these sites, Moalleman is selected for a more accurate and spacious analysis. The objective is to evaluate the most important characteristic of wind energy in the studied site. The statistical attitudes permit us to estimate the mean wind speed, the wind speed distribution function, the mean wind power density and the wind rose in the site at the height of 10m, 30m and 40m. Some local phenomena are also considered in the characterization of the site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Renewable energies have potential for supplying of relatively clean and mostly local energy. Wind energy generation is expected to increase in the near future and has experienced dramatic growth over the past decade in many countries. Offshore winds are generally stronger and more constant than onshore winds in many areas. The economic feasibility for utilization of offshore wind energy depends on the favorable wind conditions in the area. The present paper analyses offshore wind speed in global scale and also studies feasibility of introducing this technology for harnessing wind in Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, Urmia Lake and Gulf of Oman. Wind speed data were collected from different sources. The ocean surface winds at a 10m height from satellite passes as processed by NOAA/NESDIS, from near real-time data collected by NASA/JPL''s Sea Winds Scatterometer aboard the QuikSCAT. Development of renewable energy is one of priority research goals in Iran. There are many installed wind turbines in suitable regions like Manjil and Binalood, but there has not been any offshore wind installation yet in Iran. It is suggested that policy makers to invest and pay more attentions toward harnessing renewable energy sources like offshore wind in Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern parts of Iran. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]