Small Wind Turbine Systems for Application in Oman

Application of small-scale wind energy systems has an increasing trend. This increasing trend is due to the technological advancement in the wind turbines, which has reduced the cost of wind energy. This paper investigates the potential utilization of small wind turbines for the extraction of wind power in the Sultanate of Oman. This study is based on analysis of the site wind data, the annual energy capture by the turbines, the length of the time for the effective wind speed and the wind turbines capacity factors at various locations. The effect of pressure and temperature on the air density for a particular site has accounted to calculate the annual energy output and the capacity factor of a turbine at this site. A group of five different small wind turbines has considered for three different sites in this study. The results of this research reveal that the small wind turbine has a very good potential for the applications such as home, schools/campuses, communities, green houses, irrigation and small business in the Sultanate of Oman.