Cook Islands Wind Resource Monitoring

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s wind and solar monitoring project is the main long-term data source for Rarotonga wind energy and is used to estimate wind regimes of other islands. At Ngatangila Point, Rarotonga, wind data recovery was 100% during two years of monitoring. The annual average wind speed was 5.5 m/s. The highest hourly and daily averages were 17.7 m/s and 14.0 m/s respectively. Correlations with a six-year average for Rarotonga airport indicate that long-term wind speeds could be about 5% higher than those measured, with a calculated annual average wind energy at 10 m of 180 W/m2 . A study in May 1999, using data from Ngatangila, estimated a wind speed of 6.1 m/s at 30 m. A subsequent Danish feasibility study in 1997 estimated annual average wind speeds in the range of 6.1–7.5  m/s (at 30  m), suitable for economic power generation. Additional wind energy measurement masts have been installed on Rarotonga and on the outer islands, on Atiu in 2010, for example. Source: IRENA Country Lighthouse Report.

Attached in this record are the following:

• Forum for Energy and Development (FED) and the Government of Denmark supported a pre-feasibility study including a wind resource assessment for Rarotonga. Attached is the feasibility report from January 1998.
• The SPC/Government of Australia/Government of France under the PREFACE project supported wind resource monitoring and assessment on Mangia island. The wind resource assessment from 2003 is attached.
• 2006 report from a wind resource assessment for Aitutaki supported by the Government of Australia
• Wind resource assessment report from 2008 in Rarotonga, supported by the UNDP
• Installation report from the wind resource monitoring in Atiu, supported by SPREP/UNDP/GEF under the PIGGAREP Project.