Alpha ventus
Encyclopedia
Alpha ventus is Germany
's first offshore wind farm. It is situated in the North Sea
45 kilometres (28 mi) north of the island of Borkum
.
s were signed with REpower
and Areva
. At the same year, a contract for construction of the subsea cable connecting the wind farm with the German grid. was signed. Construction of the alpha ventus substation
started in July 2008. On July 15, 2009, the first wind turbine was installed and the first six turbines delivered by Areva went operational in August 2009. Installation of another six turbines delivered by REpower started in September 2009. Construction of the wind farm was completed on November 16, 2009 after a seven month construction period. On April 27, 2010 the farm was officially opened and set into commercial operation.
(26.25%), and Vattenfall
(26.25%). It consist of twelve turbines of which six turbines are 5 megawatt (MW) Areva Multibrid (M5000) and six turbines are REpower 5M. Turbines stand in 30 m of water and are not visible from land. The REpower turbines are installed onto jacket foundations (OWEC Jacket Quattropods) by the crane ship Thialf
and Areva turbines are installed onto tripod-style foundations by the jack-up barge Odin. In May 2010 two Areva Multibrid, generators went off service due severe overheating in their gearboxes. There is a pressure to Areva to replace all six turbines.
Due to delays, the cost of the project grew from 190 million to 250 million euro (US$270 to $357 million), or 4200 €/kW (6000 $/kW).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's first offshore wind farm. It is situated in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
45 kilometres (28 mi) north of the island of Borkum
Borkum
Borkum is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany.-Geography:Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait , to the east by the Osterems strait, to the north by the North Sea, and to the south by the Wadden Sea...
.
History
The application for construction of the wind farm near Borkum was submitted in 1999. The permit was given by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency in 2001. In 2007, contracts for supplying wind turbineWind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s were signed with REpower
REpower
REpower is a German wind turbine company founded in 2001, purchased December 2009 by Suzlon Energy Ltd. Its product range comprises several types of turbines with rated outputs of between 1.5 and 6 megawatts. It created the 5M, in 2005....
and Areva
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
. At the same year, a contract for construction of the subsea cable connecting the wind farm with the German grid. was signed. Construction of the alpha ventus substation
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
started in July 2008. On July 15, 2009, the first wind turbine was installed and the first six turbines delivered by Areva went operational in August 2009. Installation of another six turbines delivered by REpower started in September 2009. Construction of the wind farm was completed on November 16, 2009 after a seven month construction period. On April 27, 2010 the farm was officially opened and set into commercial operation.
Description
The wind farm is owned by Deutsche Offshore-Testfeld und Infrastruktur-GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture of EWE (47.5%), E.ONE.ON
E.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
(26.25%), and Vattenfall
Vattenfall
Vattenfall is a Swedish power company. The name Vattenfall is Swedish for waterfall, and is an abbreviation of its original name, Royal Waterfall Board...
(26.25%). It consist of twelve turbines of which six turbines are 5 megawatt (MW) Areva Multibrid (M5000) and six turbines are REpower 5M. Turbines stand in 30 m of water and are not visible from land. The REpower turbines are installed onto jacket foundations (OWEC Jacket Quattropods) by the crane ship Thialf
SSCV Thialf
SSCV Thialf is a semi-submersible crane vessel operated by Heerema Marine Contractors, the largest crane vessel in the world.-History:SSCV Thialf was constructed in 1985 as DB-102 for McDermott by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd...
and Areva turbines are installed onto tripod-style foundations by the jack-up barge Odin. In May 2010 two Areva Multibrid, generators went off service due severe overheating in their gearboxes. There is a pressure to Areva to replace all six turbines.
Due to delays, the cost of the project grew from 190 million to 250 million euro (US$270 to $357 million), or 4200 €/kW (6000 $/kW).
Research
Because it is the first offshore wind farm in Germany, alpha ventus is accompanied by several research projects sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Environment (BMU). In 2003, the research platform FINO 1 was built approximately 400 m to the west of the wind farm. Research interests include:- investigation of the flow conditions in the wind farm
- measurement of wind and wave load
- further development and adaptation of wind turbine components to offshore conditions
- accompanying ecological research
- development of new wind farm control systems
- logistic problems and the grid integration of offshore wind farms