Wind speed analysis in the province of Alicante, Spain. Potential for small-scale wind turbines

The statistical characteristics of the wind speed in the province of Alicante, southeastern Spain, have been analyzed using 9-year wind data recorded at 2 m above the ground by 17 weather stations belonging to the Valencian Institute for Agriculture Research (IVIA). The overall mean wind speed in the area is 1.7 m/s with the windy regions located at the northwest side in the highlands. A clear seasonal and daily pattern is shown with maximum in spring–summer during the central hours of the day, influenced by the sea breeze; and minimum in autumn–winter at night. The wind frequency distributions show two and three modes. The sum-lognormal model is found to be a good fit with very high correlation in all the sites. The extrapolation to 10 m with the power law and the wind shear exponent α, shows a large underestimation in the northern coastal sites and a good agreement in the innermost locations, when compared to measurements done at 10 m in a number of stations.