Economic-Environmental Performance of Micro-wind Turbine in Mediterranean Area

Through the study of wind resources for the site of the “Murgia Materana” Park, located in the Murgia plateau between Basilicata and Puglia, we deduced the potential of wind energy in this area of southern Italy, a typical Mediterranean area. The measurements, carried out over a period of 365 days, allowed to characterize and assess the windiness of the site from an energetic, economic, and environmental point of view for four different types of micro-wind turbines: two horizontal axis turbines with a power of 6 and 20 kW and two vertical axis turbines of equal power. This technology, characterized by a low environmental impact, can be used to supply loads, even in areas subject to environmental constraints, with very low costs of installation and maintenance. The analysis on energy productivity, the equivalent hours of operation, the return on investment, and environmental benefits in terms of emissions of CO2, NOx, SOx and TEP, compared to conventional sources (power plant), allowed to determine which of the turbines is the one that best suited to site studied. The last issue was to assess the cost per kWh produced and compare it with other energy sources. The value obtained was competitive equaling the cost of the kWh produced by a power plant or a third-generation nuclear power plant with significant environmental benefits such as zero emissions of CO2 and storage of nuclear waste.