WIND CHARACTERISTICS AND ENERGY POTENTIALS FOR OWERRI, NIGERIA

Wind characteristics and wind energy resource potentials for Owerri, Nigeria are presented. These were evaluated using routine wind data measurements at a height of 10 m above ground level at the Lake Nwebere Campus, Federal University of Technology, Owerri between 1988 and 1992. The most prevailing wind is from the Southwest and the average wind speed and its variation are 2.80 and 0.81 m s(-1), respectively. Accordingly, the maximum annual mean power density exploitable from the wind at this site is 7.66 +/- 0.15 W m(-2) out of the estimated available annual mean wind power density of 12.91 +/- 0.26 W m(-2); The annual mean energy density available in the wind was found to be 60.29 kW h m(-2). Thus, the potential for year-round wind energy utilization in Owerri, Nigeria is rather low.