The effect of the windmill´s parameters on the capacity factor

In this paper a methodology to study the effect of the windmill´s parameters on the capacity factor is presented. The study is based on finding the capacity factors (CF) of the identically rated available windmills. This is done by using long term wind speed data recorded at different hours of the day for many years. This data is then used to generate mean wind speeds for a typical day in a month. Probability density functions for the mean wind speeds for the different hours of the day are generated and used to calculate the capacity factors for the windmills taking into account the manufacturer´s parameters of the windmills. The study shows that although the windmills have the same rating they have different capacity factors. The windmill with the highest average capacity factor for the specific site is to be recommended