Wind energy potential and economic analysis of WECS in four selected locations in algeria

In this study, we investigated the wind energy potential and the unit cost of energy in four selected locations in the Algerian Sahara. The collected data (wind speed, temperature and pressure) used for this goal have been obtained from meteorological stations where the data have been observed during the decade 2005-2014. Technical properties of six wind turbine models were examined to evaluate the unit cost of energy in each location. The cost of energy produced shown in the results for the selected sites is in range of 0.032S/KWh to 0.0422S/KWh. Among the chosen wind turbine models, Enercon (E-58) with a rated power of 1MW appears the most competitive in terms of cost of energy for all the selected sites while In-Salah is found to be the most suitable location to produce electrical energy from wind farm among the studied sites.