World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

July 30, 2006 – Vol.11 No.19

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Often windy Cape Town, South Africa has a goal to obtain 10 percent of its energy from sustainable sources by 2020. Naturally, the first source will be the wind.

The city has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Darling Independent Power Producer to purchase all of the available power from the soon-to-be-constructed Darling Wind Farm.

The first phase of Darling Wind, about 47 miles (75 kilometers) north of Cape Town, will initially have four, 1.3 megawatt turbines to be installed beginning in November. An additional six turbines will be added in 2007 and another 10 turbines possible in 2008, the earliest date when turbines will be available. The high worldwide demand for wind turbines is causing supply constraints for wind projects like Darling.

The project will supply only about two-tenths of a percent of the electricity needed for Cape Town. Customers will be asked to pay a 50 percent premium for the electricity. Darling Wind will be considered a demonstration project and include a visitors and education center.

Visit the African Wind Energy Association for information on other projects on the continent at http://www.afriwea.org/

The world’s number one wind turbine company, Vestas, is keeping its order book filled.

-- Sixty, 2.0-megawatt turbines have been ordered by Windpark Q7 Holding for an offshore project 12 nautical miles from the Dutch coast. Construction of the project will begin in the second half of 2007 with commissioning expected by early 2008.

Vestas says it has a 70 percent accumulated market share in the offshore segment of the industry.

-- Thirty, 1.8-megawatt turbines have been ordered by Kettles Hill Wind Energy for an expansion of the Kettles Hill project near Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada. The expansion is set to begin only months after the initial five 1.8 megawatt turbines were installed. The first turbines were commissioned in March of this year, the new order should arrive before the new year.

Visit Vestas at http://www.vestas.com/

Clipper Windpower, probably the world’s smallest wind turbine company (because it’s just starting up), is filling its order book even before its first 2.5 megawatt turbine is shipped.

The company announced in late July that it will supply eight turbines to the Steel Winds Wind Farm to be built in Lackawanna, New York, south of Buffalo on the shores of Lake Erie. The project will be the first along the US side of the Great Lake.

Steel Winds, at the site of a long-abandoned steel mill, is being developed by UPC Wind and is among the first projects to use Clipper Windpower’s sole (for now) product. Visit Clipper Wind at http://www.clipperwind.com/

The Steel Winds project may be the first under development on the US side of Lake Erie, but on the Canadian side wind turbines are already spinning.

In April AIM PowerGen of Toronto, Ontario completed the 99-megawatt Erie Shores project near Port Burwell. The project has 66, 1.5-megawatt turbines.

The company has other projects either being considered or in development along windy Canadian shores of the Great Lakes, including a 150-megawatt wind farm in the Erieau-Blenheim area, the Lowbanks Wind Farm 70-megawatt wind farm in Dunnville, Ontario and the 100-megawatt Simcoe Shores Wind Farm near Beaverton, Ontario.

The company also has projects under consideration in Newfoundland, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba provinces. Visit AIM at http://www.aimpowergen.com/