Comparison of seven numerical methods for determining Weibull parameters for wind energy generation in the northeast region of Brazil

This paper deals with the analysis and comparison of 7 (seven) numerical methods for the assessment of effectiveness in determining the parameters for the Weibull distribution, using wind speed data collected in Camocim and Paracuru cities, State of Ceara, in the northeast region of Brazil, in the period from August 2004 to April 2006, obtained by the Department of Infrastructure of the State of Ceara. One method is not well known, namely the equivalent energy method, and its performance is compared to the others. By using the methods of analysis of variance, RMSE (root mean square error), and chi-square tests to compare the proposed methods, this study aims to determine which ones are effective in determining the parameters of the Weibull distribution for the available data, in an attempt to establish acceptable criteria to a better utilization of wind power in the State of Ceara, which is a national prominence in the use of renewable sources for electricity generation in Brazil. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.