Feasibility study on development of a wind turbine energy generation system for community requirements of Pulau Banggi Sabah

Abstract

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) was invited to participate in the feasibility study of providing localised renewable energy system for Pulau Banggi in Sabah, in July 2008. Subsequently to this offer a four-man task force was formed consisting of lecturers and researchers from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (UTM) to undertake the project and to make recommendations of the possible renewable energy system for the requirements of a local community. Wind has been identified is the would be possible source but other renewable energies can also be considered in tandem, or as alternative to wind. Two site visits were made to Pulau Banggi within a span of six months from the commencement of the project. The visits were to gauge on the site, potential wind energy density, agricultural activities, demographic and other socio-economic development and requirements. Besides the visits, thorough data search and feedbacks from the local authority in Pulau Banggi and the local residents of the island were gathered. Wind data from researchers of UKM and USM were also used in the overall preparation of the proposed solution. Based on the current data the full blown wind farming on the island is not possible as average wind speed hardly hit 4 m/s on average – a critical and viable threshold value for investment on wind farming. The system proposed will be a small hybrid system having a capacity of 150 kW. The system is sufficient to support a maximum 150 households in a chosen site on the island. The hybrid system will consist of one or more of 9 m tall three-bladed horizontal type wind turbine (3 kW), a PV array of 20 kW and a generator set of 120 kW capacity. The estimated cost of the system is RM 700,000.00. This is based on the cost of producing the system alone locally at a unit cost of RM 4500.00 per kW. This is a modest figure which does not cover system integration work, labour, installation and others which can escalate to RM 900,000.00. The exploration on the use of bio-diesel fuels is an ideal proposition for the setting up of an environmental-friendly hybrid power generating system. In view of the agropolitan program for the remote island, where coconut and palm oil plantations are being proposed under the land redevelopment programme, the use of bio-fuel as a diesel extender will suit ideally to the concept of economical and environmentalfriendly power generation system.