Some Aspects of Wind Power Statistics

Abstract

Some of the problems of wind power statistics are examined. The exact relationship between the mean wind speed and the mean of the cube of the wind speed is discussed. The Weibull probability density function, a good model for wind speed distributions, leads to a Weibull model for the distribution of the cube of the wind speed. This model facilitates the computation of the mean and the standard deviation of the total wind power density, the usable wind power density, and the wind power density during the hours when an aerogenerator is operating. The Weibull model is applied to data from three Oregon wind power sites located in rugged terrain. It is concluded that the mean and standard deviation of the wind speed are the minimum statistics necessary for wind power estimates, that the Weibull model for the wind power density has many computational advantages, and that the existing wind power studies based solely on the total mean wind power density omit much valuable information about the wind power potential of a site.