Powering the World with Clean EnergyReliable Renewables: wind, solar and hybrid solutions

Preliminary Assessment of Promising Island Candidates for Detailed Wind Resource Measurement

IRENA Forum 2015 Martinique

22-24 June 2015

2Subsidiaries• RE plants

25 YEARS’ experience on REMOTE and INSULAR areas

1992: first hybrid system

40 WIND & PV plants installed on islands worldwide

5 continents - 35 countries

4 subsidiaries of maintenance and local partners

VERGNET group: a history made in islands

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• Preliminary Assessment of Promising Island Candidates for Detailed Wind Resource Measurement

Wind: a promising resource for most islands

Overview of the wind resource worldwide

Specificities of “trade winds” regime

Addressing the cyclonic risk (and logistical

issues)

Detailed panorama of wind resources in islands

Suggested criteria for potential candidates

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Wind : a promising resource in most of islands

MESO data (AWS, IRENA, MERRA,…) demonstrate good wind potential, with 6 m/s at 50 m AGL in most regions.

Wind measurement already completed or under way in many islands

Wind potential in islands

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Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime

Opportunities :

Distribution : focus around 6-8 m/s

Very directional wind rose :

> Wind opportunity is a "no-brainer" for most islands

Caribbean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean

Wind potential in islands

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Caribbean : the most active cyclonic region in the world

1940-2014: Category 5 cyclones impacts

Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime :

Wind potential in islands

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Indian Ocean1940-2014: Category 4 and 5 cyclones impacts

Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime :

Wind potential in islands

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1940-2014: Category 4 and 5 cyclones impacts

Pacific Ocean

Specificities of the "Trade winds" regime :

Wind potential in islands

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Addressing the hurricane risk :

GEV MP-C 275 kW

Tilting design

Resistance to Category 5 hurricane (72 m/s average 1 min at 10 m AGL)

323 units in operation in cyclone-prone regions worldwide

March 2015: Devil’s point wind farm Vanuatu undamaged after cyclone Pam. Winds up to 320 km/h

Wind potential in islands

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Addressing the logistics issue

Wind potential in islands

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Detailed panorama of Island Wind resources

ISLAND REGION

Satellite speed (m/s)

Wind mast?

Wind project completed?

Cook Islands Pacific 2,8 YFiji Pacific 4,6 YGuam Pacific 4,6 Y Y (in construction)Kiribati Pacific 5,9 NPapua New Guinea Pacific 6 NMarshall Islands Pacific Y NFS Micronesia Pacific 4,1Nauru Pacific 6 NNew Caledonia Pacific 4,6 Y YNiue Pacific NNorthern Mariana Islands Pacific 4,6Palau Pacific 1,5Polynesia Pacific 4,3Samoa Pacific 3,3 Y YSolomon Islands Pacific 4 NTimor-Leste Pacific 6,5 NTonga Pacific 4,6 Y NTuvalu Pacific NVanuatu Pacific 5,9 Y Anguilla Caribbean 7 N Antigua and Barbuda Caribbean 7,2 Y N Aruba Caribbean 10 Y Y Bahamas Caribbean 4,5 Y Y Barbados Caribbean 7,1 Y N Belize Caribbean 6,6 ? NBonaire Caribbean Y Y British Virgin Islands Caribbean 6,6 NCayman Islands Caribbean 6,5 ? N

ISLAND REGIONSatellite

speed (m/s) Wind mast?Wind project completed?

 Cuba Caribbean 5,2 Y YCuracao Caribbean Y Y Dominica Caribbean 7,5 ? N Dominican Republic Caribbean 6,2 Y Y Grenada Caribbean 7,7 Y NGuadeloupe Caribbean Y Y Guyana Caribbean 4,8 ? NGuyana (Fr) Caribbean Y Y Haiti Caribbean 5,2 Y N Jamaica Caribbean 9,6 Y YMartinique Caribbean 7 Y Y Montserrat Caribbean 7,3 N N Puerto Rico Caribbean 7,2 Y Y Saint Kitts and Nevis Caribbean 7,1 Y Y Saint Lucia Caribbean 7,7 Y N Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Caribbean 8,3 Y N Suriname Caribbean 4,9 ? N Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean 6,9 N NTurks & Caicos Caribbean 6,6 N United States Virgin Islands Caribbean 6,3 Y N Cape Verde AIMS 5,9 Y Comoros AIMS 6,7 Maldives AIMS 2,0 Mauritius AIMS 5,9 Y Seychelles AIMS 2,0 Y Y

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Wind energy is appropriate, already adopted by 40 % of the listed islands

34 % of the countries listed have good wind resource potential, but no wind project developped. Why ?

Land availability

Financing of smaller projects

Taking the initial risk

Maximum risk during the project pre-development

Investors exist, but lack of Investors able to take the pre-development risk

Support in financing feasibility and wind resource estimation can be decisive for small-medium scale wind projects.

Wind potential in islands

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Potential candidates for wind measurements or

pilot projects

Land Availability :

Land rights, compliant with aviation, weather authorities

Compliant with distance to habitations : a viable project must be approved by the community.

Wind resource :

Minimum 6 m/s @ 50 m on mesoscale data, extrapolation from neighboring masts or masts from the same territory

Sufficient load and relevant project size :

Future project should have a sufficient critical size : to attract investors once developed

To actually contribute to reducing island’s fuel consumption

Consider Pilot projects as first phase of future project : Wind technology is mature

Turbine model preferably identical to those of the future wind farm (ex : Success story Vanuatu, 1 pilot then added + 10 + 2 identical turbines)

Suggested criteria

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Country readiness for wind power :

Enabling environment: existing energy roadmap, favorable energy framework, existing preliminary studies, wind map …

Clear intent for wind development at all stakeholder’s level. Wind is not an a priori choice, but will to do is necessary.

Multi-island countries :

Highly dependent on fossil fuel generation

Increased costs due to double insularity

Electricity rates subsidized : cost for Utility

Countries with wind already deployed but with potential for extension :

Already available data allow for shorter measurement campaign to validate a new site (ex: LIDAR)

Local competencies already available on site

Potential candidates for wind measurements or

pilot projectsSuggested criteria

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Thank you

Istvan Ponsot – i.ponsot@vergnet.fr