Technical and economic analysis of the efficiency of a low-power wind farm in the climatic conditions of the center of the European part of Russia

Nowadays, the world is actively developing alternative energy based on solar energy and wind energy. The reason for this is the obvious signs of global warming, probably caused by the emissions of greenhouse gases - products of combustion of fossil fuels. The production of electrical energy at solar and wind power plants, unlike traditional thermal power plants, does not lead to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This article examines the potential of wind power plants in the central zone of the European part of Russia, using the example of the Kaluga region. The open climatic data METAR of the meteorological station of the Kaluga International Aerodrome named after Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky (KLF) was used when writing the paper. Authors used data on the average wind speed for three-hour intervals over one year. An analysis of the wind speed was carried out and a graph of the probability of observing one or another wind speed was built. The graph showed that the average wind speed in the Kaluga region is about 2 ... 4 m / s. The calculation of the generation of electrical energy by a serial low-power wind generator was made, the coefficient of utilization of the installed capacity of the ICUM = 7% was determined. It has been established that the Kaluga region has a low wind energy potential. It is possible to obtain electricity from wind in the Kaluga Region, but calculations shown that the payback period for such power plants under these conditions, even without taking into account the costs of installation, auxiliary equipment and maintenance of the wind generator, is about 30 years. As a result of the study, it was concluded that there is no economic feasibility of operating low-power wind power plants in the central zone of the European part of Russia.

wind generators, alternative energy, economy, wind power