Evaluation of Wind Power Potential in Lom and Djerem: The Case of the City of Bertoua in East Cameroon Region

The main sources of energy production in Cameroon remain hydropower and thermal power plants using fuel and gas. However, in recent years, it has been experiencing an imbalance that creates a mismatch between production and consumption. It is therefore of great importance to explore new sources of energy such as wind energy. In an effort to seek other sources of energy, we conducted this study aimed at assessing the wind potential in the Lom and Djèrem Department in the city of Bertoua. To achieve this, data obtained from the Bertoua airport were processed using the Weibull distribution, the wind distribution density and express the statistical estimation of wind energy potential at different altitudes of the site (annual energy density average of 60.97 kWh/m²/year), which will facilitate the installation of a wind farm in this locality. Given the existing wind energy potential, its use for the development of electric energy in the region seems somewhat suitable. An advantageous solution for Cameroon in general and the East region is the recovery and transformation of wind energy into electric energy, with a YDF-1500-87 CNYD type wind turbine guaranteeing a production of 82.66 kW at 100 m altitude in the month of January. Next, we determined the wind direction to position the wind turbines at the site. Finally, an assessment of the prediction of the electrical energy produced is made while relying on the careful selection of wind turbines and their load factors.