Wind Resource Assessment and Energy Potential for Institutional Electricity Generation at Federal University of Technology Akure

Abstract

There are challenges in providing sufficient power supply in Nigerian universities as it often leads to disruption in learning processes. Therefore, alternative energy sources such as renewable sources need to be studied. This study focused on assessing the availability of wind energy and its potential for power generation at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria. The availability of wind was done through wind speed measurements using a calibrated anemometer mounted on a 10 m mast, along with an Onset HOBO U30 Data Logger, which recorded wind speed for 8,760 hours for the whole year 2024. The measured wind speeds were extrapolated to 30 m, 50 m, and 100 m hub heights using the power law equation for the atmospheric boundary layer, where the wind shear exponent is set as α=0.20, considering the roughness nature of the study area. The wind climate was statistically modeled through the use of the Weibull probability distribution model using a shape factor of k = 2, an estimation based on both the empirical observations and previous wind studies in south-western Nigeria. The Weibull scale parameter increased from c = 5.08 m/s at 10 m to c = 8.05 m/s at 100 m with the goodness of fit statistics indicating R² of 0.5561 and RMSE reducing from 0.0707 to 0.0446 confirming that the model worked satisfactorily at all hub heights considered. Annual mean wind speed climbed from 4.50 ????/???? at 10 ???? to 7.13 ????/???? at 100 ????, a rise of roughly 58%. Correspondingly, wind power density grew from 69.7 ????/????² at 10 ???? (a low-resource classification) to 277.6 ????/????² at 100 ???? (bordering on a moderate-resource classification), while annual wind energy density quadrupled, moving from about 610.9 ????????ℎ/????²/???????????????? to approximately 2,432 ????????ℎ/????²/???????????????? over the same range. Annual energy production (AEP) at each hub height was obtained by combining the site-specific Weibull probability density function with representative turbine power curves. The results showed that FUTA holds a wind resource that is technically usable from 50 ???? upward, making the site suitable for small- to medium-scale variable-speed turbines. Harnessing this resource could meaningfully cut the institution's reliance on diesel generators, reduce running costs, and support its broader sustainability goals. The study provided a quantitative basis for follow up techno-economic feasibility work, turbine selection, and the design of a wind-solar hybrid system at FUTA.