Site Selection for Wind Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy in Bonny, Nigeria

Abstract

Power derived via the wind stands out as an appealing form of renewable energy due to its minimal operational, maintenance, and production expenses, coupled with its limited environmental footprint. This investigation focuses on employing geospatial methods to establish a wind farm on Bonny Island, Nigeria. The primary objectives include furnishing data and a spatial wind distribution map for Bonny Island, evaluating the significance of factors crucial for wind farm development in the area, and generating a wind energy suitability map. The study utilizes Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodologies to scrutinize five critical parameters influencing location suitability. The findings indicate that Bonny Island possesses potential for wind farm installation, with 3,549.8 hectares, 10,219.6 hectares, and 424.6 hectares categorized as highly suitable, suitable, and unsuitable, respectively. Moreover, wind speed, land use/land cover, distance from the road, distance from the river, and land slope each carry a substantial priority weight of 50%, 25%, 10%, 10%, and 5%, respectively. These weights contribute to the creation of a wind energy suitability map for the study area. This research recommends amongst other things the investment and installation of a wind energy farm in Bonny Island, owing to the comparative advantage over other sources of energy in Nigeria.