Powering the World with Clean Energy
Reliable Renewables: wind, solar and hybrid solutions
Preliminary Assessment of Promising Island Candidates for
Detailed Wind Resource Measurement
IRENA Forum 2015
Martinique
22-24 June 2015
VERGNET group: a
history made in islands
25 YEARS’ experience on REMOTE and INSULAR areas
1992: first hybrid system
40 WIND & PV plants installed on islands worldwide
5 continents - 35 countries
4 subsidiaries of maintenance and local partners
Subsidiaries • RE plants
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• Preliminary Assessment of Promising Island Candidates for Detailed Wind
Resource Measurement
Wind: a promising resource for most islands
Overview of the wind resource worldwide
Specificities of “trade winds” regime
Addressing the cyclonic risk (and logistical
issues)
Detailed panorama of wind resources in islands
Suggested criteria for potential candidates
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Wind potential in islands
Wind : a promising resource in most of islands
 MESO data (AWS, IRENA, MERRA,…) demonstrate good wind potential, with 6 m/s at 50 m AGL in
most regions.
 Wind measurement already completed or under way in many islands
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Wind potential in islands
Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime
Opportunities :
 Distribution : focus around 6-8 m/s
 Very directional wind rose :
Caribbean
Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
> Wind opportunity is a "no-brainer" for most islands
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Wind potential in islands
Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime :
Caribbean : the most active cyclonic region in the world
1940-2014: Category 5 cyclones impacts
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Wind potential in islands
Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime :
Indian Ocean
1940-2014: Category 4 and 5 cyclones impacts
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Wind potential in islands
Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime :
Pacific Ocean
1940-2014: Category 4 and 5 cyclones impacts
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Wind potential in islands
Addressing the hurricane risk :
 GEV MP-C 275 kW
 Tilting design
 Resistance to Category 5 hurricane (72 m/s average 1 min at 10 m AGL)
 323 units in operation in cyclone-prone regions worldwide
March 2015: Devil’s point wind farm Vanuatu undamaged after cyclone Pam. Winds up to
320 km/h
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Wind potential in islands
Addressing the logistics issue
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Detailed panorama of
Island Wind resources
ISLAND
Cook Islands
Fiji
Guam
Kiribati
Papua New Guinea
Marshall Islands
FS Micronesia
Nauru
New Caledonia
Niue
Northern Mariana
Islands
Palau
Polynesia
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bonaire
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
REGION
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Pacific
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Satellite
speed
(m/s)
2,8
4,6
4,6
5,9
6
Wind
mast?
Y
Y
4,1
6
4,6
4,6
1,5
4,3
3,3
4
6,5
4,6
5,9
7
7,2
10
4,5
7,1
6,6
6,6
6,5
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
?
Y
?
Wind project
completed?
Y
Y
Y (in construction)
N
N
N
N
Y
N
Y
N
N
N
N
Y
N
N
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
N
ISLAND
Cuba
Curacao
Dominica
Dominican
Republic
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guyana
Guyana (Fr)
Haiti
Jamaica
Martinique
Montserrat
Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts and
Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent
and the
Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and
Tobago
Turks & Caicos
United States
Virgin Islands
Cape Verde
Comoros
Maldives
Mauritius
Seychelles
Satellite
Wind project
REGION speed (m/s) Wind mast? completed?
Caribbean
5,2
Y
Y
Caribbean
Y
Y
Caribbean
7,5
?
N
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
Caribbean
6,2
7,7
5,2
9,6
7
7,3
7,2
Y
Y
Y
?
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Caribbean
Caribbean
7,1
7,7
Y
Y
Y
N
Caribbean
Caribbean
8,3
4,9
Y
?
N
N
Caribbean
Caribbean
6,9
6,6
N
N
N
Caribbean
AIMS
AIMS
AIMS
AIMS
AIMS
6,3
5,9
6,7
2,0
5,9
2,0
Y
N
Y
4,8
Y
Y
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Y
Wind potential in islands
Wind energy is appropriate, already adopted by 40 % of the listed islands
34 % of the countries listed have good wind resource potential, but no wind project
developped. Why ?
 Land availability
 Financing of smaller projects
 Taking the initial risk
 Maximum risk during the project pre-development
 Investors exist, but lack of Investors able to take the pre-development risk
Support in financing feasibility and wind resource estimation can be decisive for smallmedium scale wind projects.
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Potential candidates for
wind measurements or
pilot projects
Suggested criteria
Land Availability :
 Land rights, compliant with aviation, weather authorities
 Compliant with distance to habitations : a viable project must be approved by the community.
Wind resource :
 Minimum 6 m/s @ 50 m on mesoscale data, extrapolation from neighboring masts or masts
from the same territory
Sufficient load and relevant project size :
 Future project should have a sufficient critical size :
 to attract investors once developed
 To actually contribute to reducing island’s fuel consumption
 Consider Pilot projects as first phase of future project :
 Wind technology is mature
 Turbine model preferably identical to those of the future wind farm (ex : Success story Vanuatu, 1 pilot
then added + 10 + 2 identical turbines)
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Potential candidates for
wind measurements or
pilot projects
Suggested criteria
Country readiness for wind power :
 Enabling environment: existing energy roadmap, favorable energy framework, existing
preliminary studies, wind map …
 Clear intent for wind development at all stakeholder’s level. Wind is not an a priori choice, but
will to do is necessary.
Multi-island countries :
 Highly dependent on fossil fuel generation
 Increased costs due to double insularity
 Electricity rates subsidized : cost for Utility
Countries with wind already deployed but with potential for extension :
 Already available data allow for shorter measurement campaign to validate a new site (ex:
LIDAR)
 Local competencies already available on site
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Thank you
Istvan Ponsot – i.ponsot@vergnet.fr
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