Wind characteristics and power density analysis for Vadravadra site in Fiji Islands

Due to the rising cost of conventional fuel, increased demand for the electrical energy and the huge amounts of pollution that are occurring in the world today has lead human kind to look for alternative forms of power generation. One of the alternative power sources is wind energy. However, wind is intermittent and to find the economic viability of a site for wind turbine installation, wind resource assessment (WRA) must be carried out to help wind planners to make right decisions. In WRA the wind characteristics for a site must be determined so that the wind speed frequency, duration and diurnal variation in wind speed is known to wind energy planners. Wind rose and turbulence intensity for the site must also be determined. This paper presents wind characteristics and wind power density analysis for Vadravadra site in Gau Island in Fiji