Abstract:
One potential source of wind energy that can be used to power highway lighting and
telecommunication signalling is the turbulent airflow caused by vehicles moving along highways. To
actualize this, a precise evaluation of wind speeds attributes is necessary in assessing the potential of
wind energy. In this paper, we report on the wind potential along Embu-Nairobi highway at Juja by
measuring the wind speed close to the highway. The wind speed data of the site at 1 m height was
collected using Young wind sentry anemometer and vane, model 03002V and analysed on hourly time
series data using Minitab Statistical Software. The Weibull distribution model gave a good fit for the
recorded induced wind speed data. The model was then used to evaluate the Weibull distribution
parameters, which were found to be k=3.0883 and c=4.689 m/s. The parameters were used to assess
the wind power density along the highway, which was found to be 50.4 W/m2 where maximum
extractable power is 29.8 W/m2.
Key Word: Vehicle-induced turbulence, Weibull distribution, induced wind speed, wind power
density, renewable energy. ------------------------------------------------
