Design and planning of a wind farm in the rural community of Reforma de Pineda, Oaxaca

Abstract

Wind energy represents a strategic alternative for the sustainable development of rural communities, as it promotes energy autonomy and contributes to the reduction of polluting emissions. This study evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of a 12 MW wind farm in the community of Reforma de Pineda, Oaxaca, a region with high wind energy potential. Using a micro-scale model, the available wind resource was characterized through reanalysis databases (Global Wind Atlas and MERRA-2), considering terrain roughness, topography, and obstacles affecting wind flow. This allowed for the selection of the Vestas V-90 wind turbine and the optimization of its staggered layout, reducing wake effect losses to 1.3%. The economic analysis was based on Local Marginal Prices (LMP) and Real-Time Market (RTM) prices of the Distributed Nodes of the National Electric System, enabling the estimation of revenues from the sale of 43 GWh/year, covering the energy demand of 20,831 inhabitants and generating surpluses allocated to water pumping. Results show that, under the scenario of 6% discount rate, the Net Present Value (NPV) reaches USD 35.3 million, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is 35.16% and the payback period is 5.56 years. Under the worst-case scenario (12% discount rate), the NPV is USD 18.7 million, the IRR is 27.92% and the payback period is 7.13 years, confirming the project’s economic viability under both scenarios.