ANALYTICAL EVALUATION OF WEIBULL DISTRIBUTION WITH CLIMATE CHANGES IN WIND SPEED DISTRIBUTION

Abstract

The Weibull distribution function is the most popular means of determining the wind speed distribution, which is used by wind engineers to determine the design of the wind turbine and to evaluate and compare the economic viability of different sites.  In order to determine the Weibull distribution curve of a set of wind data, the scale and shape parameters of the Weibull function must be calculated.  The purpose of this experiment is to use the inbuilt Matlab functions and a set of equations to calculate the parameters and compare the results for a given set of data.  The set of wind data is for one year.  The data was then divided into seasons to compare the differences in wind speed distribution and power generation. The results showed that there was variability between each season, and there were differences in the confidence interval for each season. It is recommended further data from previous years will need to be collected and analyzed to determine whether the unusual wind pattern in the winter is due to an unusual weather event or if this is the standard climate for the site.  Further data could determine if there are seasonal variations or annual changes in the wind speed distribution.