Powering Timbuktu with wind

摘要

Timbuktu is a city located in the northern part of Mali at about 1000 km from the capital Bamako. The city has a population of 30 000 people and is depending on diesel generator sets for the power supply. Diesel is transported over the road over a distance of 2200 km. The Belgian Technical Cooperation initiated a wind study in 2006. A 40 m tall tower was installed to measure the wind over more than a year. In a second phase a full feasibility was conducted. In this part the existing diesel generators and electricity grid were studied. In addition geological surveys were done and an economical study was carried out. The results of the study showed that a hybrid power system based on wind-diesel is promising, although no commitment of EDM (Electricite Du Mali) is given, a integrated project with a small wind farm into the existing power supply system is feasible.