Wind Energy Potential in Rajasthan, INDIA

Kapil Parikh#1, Ravi Soni#2,

#1
Department of Electrical Engineering, Shrinathji Institute of Engineering & Technology
Upali Oden, Nathdwara, District-Rajsamand, Rajasthan, India
[email protected]
#2
Department of Computer Science and Application, Nathdwara Institute Of Biotechnology & Management
Upali Oden, Nathdwara, District-Rajsamand, Rajasthan, India
[email protected]

Abstract — For securing maximum output of power using a given of Luni Basin, (5) Semi-arid Eastern Plain, (6) Flood Prone
type of wind electric generator, an assessment of the wind Eastern Plains, (7) Sub-humid Southern Plains & the Aravalli
resource available at any prospective site is essential. Estimation Hills, (8) Humid Southern Plains, (9) Humid South-Eastern
of wind power potential is based on data of the wind frequency Plains.
distribution at the site, are collected from official meteorological
data. The analyses show that desert and hilly zones in Rajasthan
have good wind potential.

Keywords— Relationship between annual mean wind speed and

wind energy potential, Wind monitoring stations, Wind Energy
Pattern factor, Annual Mean Wind Power Density, Anemometer.

I. INTRODUCTION
Wind Energy, its production and utilizations is one of the
fastest-growing and economic energy sectors in the world
which is renewable as well. However, the wind resource is
governed by the climatology of the location concerned and
has large variability in altitudes, climate. Hence, the need to
conduct wind resource surveys for exploiting wind energy, as
below for Rajasthan, India.

II. METHODOLOGY
The State of Rajasthan is the largest state of the Republic of
India by area (with total 342,269 km2 or 132,150.8 sq mi). It
encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great
Indian Desert (Thar Desert), which has an edge paralleling the
Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan.
Rajasthan is approximately within latitudes 26.57268°N
73.83902°E with the different agro climatic zones. The
proportion of the state's total area to the total area of the
country is 10.41 per cent. For administrative purpose the State
is divided into 33 districts. The main geographic features of
Rajasthan are the Thar Desert and the Aravalli Range, which
runs through the state from southwest to northeast, almost
from one end to the other, for more than 850 km. About three-
fifths of Rajasthan lies northwest of the Aravallis, leaving
two-fifths on the east and south. The north-western portion of Fig. 1 Wind Resources Map on India showing Wind Power Density.
Rajasthan is generally sandy and dry. Most of the region is
covered by the Thar Desert, which extends into adjoining It is customary to average the wind speeds during each hour
portions of Pakistan. and use the hourly mean wind speed as the basic parameter in
On the basis of climatic conditions and agricultural produce, calculations of wind power. The relationships between annual
Rajasthan has been divided into nine agro-climatic zones, mean wind speed (at anemometer height of 10 m) and
each one having special characteristics of its own. (1) Arid potential value of the wind energy resource as considered in
Western Plain, (2) Irrigated North-Western Plains, (3) India are listed in table 1.
Transitional Plain Of Inland Drainage, (4) Transitional Plain
 TABLE I - RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANNUAL MEAN WIND SPEED AND WIND The Rayleigh distribution is used as a model for wind
ENERGY POTENTIAL
speed. The model describes the distribution of wind speed
Annual mean wind speed Indicated value of wind over the period of a year. The two graphics below show the
@ 10 m Height resource distribution of daily average wind speed, one onshore and the
other at an exposed offshore location; in both cases the quality
< 4.5 m/s Poor
of the fit is good. This type of analysis is used for estimating
4.5 – 5.4 m/s Marginal the energy recovery from a wind turbine.
5.4 – 6.7 m/s Good to Very Good
> 6.7 m/s Exceptional

In locations where data are not available, a qualitative

indication of a high annual mean wind speed can be inferred
from geographical location, topographical features, wind-
induced soil erosion, and deformation of vegetation. However,
accurate determination of the mean annual wind speed
requires anemometer data for at least 12 months.
Availability of wind energy and its characteristics have
been studied for 8 locations in Rajasthan based on primary
data at selected locations and data collected from the
Wind Monitoring Stations of Rajasthan, where 3-cup Fig. 2.Distribution of daily average wind speed on onshore.
anemometers with 127 mm diameter conical cups, in
conformity with international practice, are used. Anemometers
at different stations are normally at 10 m height, but if at a
different height the data are adjusted to 10 m by the IMD
according to methods of .the World Meteorological
Organization. Since modern wind turbines have hub heights
greater than 10 m, we extrapolate to 30 m above ground using
equation 1.

v = v [h h ] (1)

Where, v: wind speed at height h (m/ s), vo: wind speed at

anemometer height ho (m/ s), h = height at which wind speed Fig. 3.Distribution of daily average wind speed on offshore.
is measured (m), ho: anemometer height (10 m), k = height
exponent (0.14).
Wind energy conversion systems would be most effective Wind power capacity of various Indian State is shown in
in these locations during November to May. The Energy table 2.
Pattern Factor (EPF) and Power densities at 30 m are TABLE III
computed for sites with hourly wind data. With the knowledge WIND POWER CAPACITY OF VARIOUS INDIAN STATES (IN MW)
of EPF and mean wind speed, mean power density is State Capacity in MW
computed for the locations with only hourly monthly data.
Wind power density of a stream of air with density d moving Rajasthan 5400
with a velocity vm is given by Gujarat 8975
Madhya Pradesh 5500
P= ⁄2 (2) Maharashtra 3650
Andhra Pradesh 8275
Where, k is Energy Pattern Factor.
Karnataka 6620

= (Σ ⁄ )⁄ (3) West Bengal 450

Tamil Nadu 3050
Where, vi is hourly wind speed during the month, Nm is Kerala 875
number of hourly wind speed values during the month, and vm
is monthly mean wind speed. For a Rayleigh distribution of
wind speed, KEm = 1.91. Values of KEm varies from 1.05, 1.33
to 1.44.
 TABLE IIII
STATION-WISE DATA OF WIND MONITORING STATIONS FOR POTENTIAL SITES IN RAJASTHAN

Mean
Mean
Latitude Annual Wind
Annual
Date of Mast Longitude Air Power Wind power
Station Wind
S.No. Commencement Height Deg Min Density Law Power Density
District Speed at
Date of Closing (m) Altitude gm/m3 Index Density at at 50 m
Mast Ht.
(m) Mast Ht. (W/m2)
(m/s)
(W/m2)
Harshnath 20/09/96 27 30
1 25 891 1075 5.73 0.44 206 276
Sikar 13/11/98 75 10
Jaisalmer*-1 08/06/88 26 56
2 20 241 1140 4.83 0.22 159 274
Jaisalmer 16/08/93 70 54
Phalodi* 29/12/88 27 06
3 20 250 1140 4.83 0.27 142 261
Jodhpur 14/08/93 72 19
Jaisalmer*-2 20/01/99 26 56
4 25 255 - 5.50 182 244
Jaisalmer 03/12/05 70 53
Mohangarh 26/04/90 27 17
5 20 155 1148 4.02 0.22 117 243
Jaisalmer 15/08/93 71 13
23/12/88 26 22
6 Khodal Barmer 20 269 1143 4.68 0.23 135 229
17/08/93 71 13
Kanod 05/09/02 27 07
7 20 157 - 5.23 153 220
Jaisalmer 14/03/04 71 06
Devgarh* 25/07/96 24 03
8 25 520 1110 5.62 0.30 151 202
Chittorgarh 17/01/99 74 39

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Ramachandra T.V. w=article&id=26&Itemid=36
Energy Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences,
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 5600 12, India
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Shruthi B.V.
Centre for Sustainable Technologies (ASTRA), Indian
Institute of Science
[email protected]