Statistical assessment of wind energy potential for power generation at Imphal, Manipur (India)

In this work, two parameters Weibull distribution method and Rayleigh distribution method have been used to estimate the wind energy potential at Imphal, Manipur located in northeast India with the objective to check the feasibility of wind power generation at this location. In this study, we analyze the wind profile using the 12 years (2005?2016) wind data collected from the Meteorological center, ICAR Research Complex, Lamphelpat, Imphal, Manipur. It is observed that the wind speed drastically increased from 2009 onward except in 2013 and 2014. Subsequently, we determine the statistical parameters of collected wind speed data using four different estimation methods. Then the probability density function, cumulative distributions function, and finally wind power density per unit area are determined. It is found that mean wind power density based on actual mean wind speed is 1.214?W/m(2), which is not suitable for medium or large-scale power generation. This perhaps calls for deployment of vertical axis wind turbines for harnessing wind power at small power levels.