Because of the negative environmental impacts of fossil fuel use, it is necessary to find ways to economically utilize non-polluting sources of energy. Worldwide, fossil fuel consumption is the largest cause of anthropogenic air pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants are threatening not only to those in the immediate vicinity of their generation, but also to the health of the global ecosystem. In an attempt to limit such emissions, thirty-nine countries have agreed to a combined 5.2 percent reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2008-2012 in what has become known as the Kyoto Protocol (U.N. 1997). This international agreement lays the groundwork for development of environmentally sound alternatives to fossil fuel use.
Developing countries cannot improve their standards of living without increasing energy consumption. Using the same energy mix as is used in developed countries today, a worldwide equalization of per capita energy consumption levels to that of the United States would increase worldwide carbon dioxide emissions more than five-fold. As power capacity expands in the developing world, therefore, it is important that cleaner sources be used to address this future demand. Wind is an abundant resource that produces energy at low cost, with virtually no emissions, and is therefore likely to be an important component of future power generation.
The vast majority of wind power development to date has occurred in developed rather than developing countries. Some developing countries such as India and China are rapidly increasing wind capacity, but in the poorest countries there is a marked absence of utility-scale wind power development. This study focuses on the feasibility of utility-scale wind power development in one of the world's poorest countries: Eritrea.
Eritrea is a small developing country in northeast Africa. After three decades of war with Ethiopia, the Eritrean government is seeking to greatly increase the capacity of the national power system as a prerequisite to rebuilding social and economic infrastructures. In particular, power is needed in the central highlands surrounding the capital city of Asmera, where about half of the Eritrean population lives. As part of its plans for expanding the energy sector, the Eritrean Department of Energy is investigating the feasibility of generating electricity with renewable energy sources. This project was undertaken at the request of the Eritrean Department of Energy to provide them with information about wind resources in Eritrea.
Previous studies have investigated wind resources in the area of Eritrea. Studies of the region surrounding the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have issued promising results, especially for coastal areas (Elliott and Renne 1987; Pallabazzer and Gabow 1991; Radwan 1987). Mulugetta and Drake (1996) conducted an introductory study of wind potential for Ethiopia that included Eritrea. Their analysis is incomplete for Eritrea in that it included only four Eritrean sites: three in the central highlands, and one at Aseb on the southern coast. In addition, their study included only one of two sites at Aseb.
This thesis attempts to advance the understanding of Eritrea's wind energy resources in order to assist development in that country. To this end, this paper first provides background information about wind power in Chapter 3. Detailed information about the study area is given in Chapter 4, with a description of the Eritrean geography, demographics, energy sector and wind patterns. The evaluation of the wind resource in Eritrea then begins in Chapter 5 with a review of available data and preliminary mean annual wind speed estimates for 10 cities in the Eritrean highlands. The remainder of Chapter 5 focuses on analyses of data for the southern coast of Eritrea, including two stations at the port city of Aseb. In addition, an analysis of surface wind speeds over the southern Red Sea is provided to assist in predicting wind potential along the Eritrean coastline. The results of these analyses are presented in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 compares results obtained using different methods of analysis and briefly discusses the projected cost of wind-generated electricity at Aseb. Chapter 8 concludes the thesis with a review of the results and a discussion of their implications for Eritrean wind energy development. In addition, Chapter 8 provides a series of recommendations for the Eritrean wind energy development program.