Wind resource assessment and energy potential of Natadola in Viti Levu, Fiji

Abstract This study uses 1.75 years of continuous measured wind data at a height of 50 m above ground level (AGL) to model and assess the wind resource potential at the site of Natadola in Viti Levu, Fiji utilizing the wind industry software, Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP). WAsP is employed to model and assess the wind resource in terms of the mean wind speed, prevailing wind direction, power density and annual energy production (AEP) using the power curve of a Vergnet 275 kW wind turbine and for modelling a 10 MW utility-scale wind farm. The findings indicate that the average wind speed and the mean power density at the Natadola measurement site are 6.94 m s−1 and 328 W m−2 at 50 m AGL, respectively, which falls in Wind Power Class 3 and is suitable for the application of utility-scale wind power. Resource maps at a horizontal resolution of 50 m × 50 m reveal that the Natadola site has an average wind speed of 7.11 m s−1, with an average power density of 358 W m−2, and a potential AEP of 0.786 GWh at a height of 55 m AGL. The wind direction is dominantly easterly. A model 10 MW wind farm using 37 × 275 kW Vergnet wind turbines at the Natadola site generates a net AEP of 30.947 GWh yr−1, with a proportional wind-farm wake loss of 5.81%, a turbulence intensity (TI) of 4% and a capacity factor of 0.35. This study aligns with SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).