Assessment of wind energy potential and applications in Tanzania

Wind energy technology has not been effectively utilized in Tanzania despite of the existing of wind energy resource, technology and adequate experiences gained over the years. Studies show that wind energy technology has been applied on isolated cases since 1950s; however its contribution in addressing energy needs especially in rural areas has remained negligible. In recognition of development challenges facing rural communities coupled with environmental concerns, in this research work efforts have been made to reveal the energy potential from wind, in order to hasten the diffusion of the related technologies for application in Tanzania. During the study useful information on wind data was obtained and analyzed revealing the dominating wind speeds, directions and distributions countrywise. Dotting of wind speed and portraying of wind power density distribution was done on a digitized map of Tanzania. A study on the level of wind energy technology capacities gained was also made. The results obtained show a fair distributionof wind speed countrywise. The seasonal variations in wind direction and calmness domination around the country were also observed. Annual mean wind speeds above 5m/s were observed to occur at Mtwara, Dodoma, Zanzibar, Pemba, Mwanza, Tanga, Same and Dar es Salaam. Lower annual wind speeds below 5m/s were observed at Moshi, Kilimanjaro and Shinyanga. Areas with annual mean wind speeds above 4m/s are located at the northern and southern Coastal belt, areas configured by the Rift Valley, Mbeya Range, Udzungwa and Usambara mountains. These results show that wind energy is widely available in most parts of Tanzania and the level of investment cost is affordable for application in rural areas.