wind energy and barbados

Wind Energy and Barbados

Dr Tom Rogers, Lecturer, CMP, Cave Hill

Wind Energy and Barbados

Where is Barbados?

(EIA, 2010)

Barbados

About Barbados

Population: 280,000

Area: 430 km2

Economic: Manufacturing and Tourism

Political: Stable (3rd oldest Parliament)

Member of Small Island Developing

States (SIDS)

Wind Energy and Barbados

About Barbados

Wind Energy and Barbados

A long history in Barbados

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Wind speed bin (m/s)

Wind Energy and Barbados

Wind speed probability for Barbados

Wind data from Barbados airport

Average wind speed – 6.6 m/s (at 10m)

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Wind Energy and Barbados

Monthly average wind speed for Barbados

Wind data from Barbados airport

Average wind speed – 6.6 m/s (at 10m)

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Wind Energy and Barbados

Daily average wind speed for Barbados

Wind data from Barbados airport

Average wind speed – 6.6 m/s (at 10m)

Wind Energy and Barbados

Onshore utility scale

Past experience

• One 200kW wind turbine

• Installed in parish of St Lucy

• Concrete tower

• Stainless steel blades

• Operated from 1984 - 1988

• Many reliability problems

• Eventually abandoned due to

safety concerns

Wind Energy and Barbados

Onshore utility scale

• 10MW wind farm planned in St Lucy parish (expected 2014)

• 30% capacity factor is estimated (comparable with good wind farms)

• Onshore, utility scale wind is limited by available locations

• Only 3-4 potential sites available in Barbados

• Planning is currently a big issue for wind farm installation

• Would meet ~3% of Barbados’s energy needs

Artists impression of the 10MW St Lucy site

Wind Energy and Barbados

Offshore

20m depth contour

The pro’s of offshore

•Better wind regimes offshore

•Less disturbance for a space limited island

•Easier to install larger turbines

However, technical challenges are large

•~50% more expensive to install offshore

•O&M costs are higher

•Currently limited to 20m water depth

Proposed 10MW

wind farm site

Wind Energy and Barbados

Small scale

3kW Kestrel e400 residential installation

Small Wind is starting to appear (<10kW)

Cost of electricity ~33 US¢/kWh

BL&P Renewable Energy Pilot project

- 200 installations or 1.6MW of grid-connect

- Net metering at ~20 US¢/kWh

Thank you for listening