Assessment of wind energy potential in south western Uganda (Kabale district)

Abstract

Uganda is one of the developing countries and its dependence upon imported fossil fuels can only be offset by the sustained exploitation of its indigenous resources. Wind energy is renewable and environment friendly, which can be harnessed for various end-uses. A precise knowledge of wind energy regime is a pre-requisite for the efficient planning and implementation of any wind energy project. However, due to the absence of a reliable and accurate Ugandan Wind Atlas, further studies on the assessment of wind energy in Uganda are necessary. The main purpose of this paper is to present and to perform an investigation on the wind energy potential for Kabaale in south western Uganda. Therefore, in this study, wind data collected over a period of eleven years at one location in this region of Uganda were evaluated in order to figure out the wind energy potential for Kabaale. The data from selected station was analyzed using the two-parameter Weibull probability distribution function. With an annual mean wind speed of 4.6m/s, an annual energy of 677.337 kWh/m2 could be extracted. It is found that the potential uses of wind energy in this location is less for big industrial purposes but can be used for water pumping in rural areas. The study presented here is also an attempt to promote wind energy in Uganda and to bridge the gap in order to create prospective Wind Atlas of Uganda.