Availability of Renewable Energy Sources

1. Wind Resource in the Philippines Consider the results from wind measurements by assessing wind potentials if these results indicate that technical and economical operation of wind energy can be considered viable. We need to consider the technical aspects by on-site wind monitoring, economic assessments to establish commercial viability of the project and appraisal to identify specific environmental constraints and opportunities implemented.

The detailed assessment of the site conditions would include: (1) analysis of ground and soil conditions, (2) regional site geology and seismic conditions to investigate potential risk of earthquakes and (3) nearby airports and telecommunication facilities for the transportation of heavy turbines.

The technical data needed to assess the wind resource include: (1) temperature, (2) pressure, (3) relative humidity, (4) air density and (5) average wind speeds per wind direction.

1.1 Existing Wind Power Farms in the Philippines The existing wind power farms in the Philippines are located in Bangui, Ilocos Norte and Mt. Samhao, Batan Island, Batanes which are wind projects of Northwind Power Development Corporation and National Power Corporation, respectively. The wind farm in Ilocos Norte has a capacity of 33 MW while the wind-diesel hybrid farm in Batanes has a capacity of 1.5 MW .

Figure #. Wind farm in Ilocos Norte

Figure #. Wind-diesel hybrid farm in Batanes

1.2 Wind Resource Atlas of the Philippines A wind resource analysis and mapping study for the Philippine archipelago was conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to identify potential wind resource areas and to quantify the value of the resource within those areas.

The wind characteristics help determine the wind energy resource in a particular area. The factors that affect the suitability of an area include the annual and monthly average wind speeds and the seasonal and diurnal wind patterns. In general, locations with an annual average wind speed of 6.5 to 7.0 m/s or greater at turbine hub height, are the most suitable for utility gridconnected wind energy systems. Rural power applications are typically viable at lower wind speeds from 5.5 to 6.0 m/s, and in some cases, at wind speeds as low as 4.5 m/s (Elliot, Schwartz, George, Haymes, Heimiller, & Scott, 2001).

The level of the wind resource is the best indicator of the resource and is often defined in terms of the wind power density value, expressed in watts per square meter (W/m2). This value incorporates the combined effects of the wind speed frequency distribution, the dependence of the wind power on air density and the cube of the wind speed. Thus, six wind power classifications were made and were based on ranges of wind power density values. The six wind power classifications were divided in two categories: (1) one for utility-scale applications

(ranging from marginal to excellent and (2) for rural power applications (ranging from moderate to excellent). Table # shows the wind power classifications in the Philippines.

Table #. Wind Power Classification (Elliot, Schwartz, George, Haymes, Heimiller, & Scott, 2001)

Class 1 2 3 4 5 6

Resource Potential Utility Rural Marginal Moderate Moderate Good Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent

Wind Power Density (W/m2) @ 30 m 100-200 200-300 300-400 400-600 600-800 800-1200

Wind Speed (m/s) @ 30 m 4.4-5.6 5.6-6.4 6.4-7.0 7.0-8.0 8.0-8.8 8.8-10.1

The wind resource in the Philippines is strongly dependent on latitude, elevation and proximity to the coastline. In general, the best wind resource is in the north and northeast, and the worst resource is in the south and southwest of the archipelago.

The wind mapping results show many areas of good-to-excellent wind resource for utility-scale applications or excellent wind resource for village power applications, particularly in the northern and central regions of the Philippines. The best wind resources are found in six regions: (1) the Batanes and Babuyan islands north of Luzon; (2) the northwest tip of Luzon (Ilocos Norte); (3) the higher interior terrain of Luzon, Mindoro, Samar, Leyte, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Palawan, eastern Mindanao, and adjacent islands; (4) well-exposed east-facing coastal locations from northern Luzon southward to Samar; (5) the wind corridors between Luzon and Mindoro (including Lubang Island); and (6) between Mindoro and Panay (including the Semirara Islands and extending to the Cuyo Islands).

Throughout most of the Philippines, the highest wind resource occurs from November through February, and the lowest from April to September. However, there are some regional differences in the seasonal variability. For example, in the northern Philippines, the months with the highest

wind resource are October through February; and in much of the central and southern Philippines, November through March are the months with the highest wind resource.

Mactan, Cebu Latitude- 10 18 Longitude- 123 58 Elevation- 12.8 m Annual Average Wind Speed- 3 m/s

Figure #. Philippine wind resource atlas

The wind regions in the Philippines include: (1) Batanes and Babuyan Island, (2) Northwest tip of Luzon (Ilocos Norte), (3) Higher interior terrains of Luzon, Mindoro, Samar, Leyte, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Palawan, Eastern Mindanao, (4) East-facing coastal locations from N. Luzon southward to Samar, (5) Wind corridor between Luzon and Mindoro and (6) Between Mindoro and Panay.

Table #. Analysis of offshore wind developments (The European Wind Energy Association, 2009)

Project Middelgrunded Homs Rev I Samso North Hoyle Nysted Scroby Sands Kentish Flats Barrows Burbo Bank Lillgrunden Robin Rigg

Commissioned 2001 2002 2003 2003 2004 2004 2005 2006 2007 2007 2008

No. of turbines 20 80 10 30 72 30 30 30 24 48 60

Turbine size (MW) 2 2 2.3 2 2.3 2 3 3 3.6 2.3 3

Array capacity (MW) 40 160 23 60 165 60 90 90 90 110 180

Unit cost (M/MW) 1.2 1.7 1.3 2 1.5 2 1.8 2 1.8 2.7

Table #. Analysis of investment components for offshore wind (The European Wind Energy Association, 2009)

Component/System Turbine ex works including transport Transformer and main cable Inter-turbine cabling Foundations Engineering Design and project management Environmental assessment Miscellaneous TOTAL

Cost (k/MW) 815 270 85 350 100 50 10 1680

Share (%) 49 16 5 21 6 3 <1 ~100

1.x Wind Statistics in Mactan-Cebu The wind statistics was based on the data collected from October 2009 to December 2013 daily from 7 am to 7 pm.

Source: www.windfinder.com/winstats

WIND DISTRIBUTION

Environmental Aspect