Analysis of Induced Wind Speed along Embu-Nairobi Highway, Nairobi, Kenya

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. ------------------------------------------------