With onshore wind farms costing millions to deliver, it’s crucial they are located in places with the optimum conditions for success.
Working with a number of wind farm operators across the UK and Europe and delivering regular commissioning, decommissioning, installation and repair projects over the last 4 years – we know all too well the characteristics that make a perfect onshore wind farm site.
The top four characteristics of an ideal onshore wind farm site are:
1.Location
The best locations for onshore wind farms are typically away from large conurbations and built-up areas, ideally on the top of a hill or in a wide open space. This is because built-up areas reduce the amount of available wind. More remote locations also don’t impact neighbouring communities. Noise has been a common complaint associated with onshore wind farms, even though they have become much quieter in recent years. Mitigating noise is often a condition of planning consent, but in remote locations, this is not a concern.
Some of Europe’s largest onshore wind farms, such as Clyde Wind Farm in Scotland, Pen y Cymoedd
in southern Wales and Markbygden 1101 in Sweden make the case for remote locations perfectly – as they occupy moorland, peatlands and river valleys, respectively, in rural areas with high winds.
2.Access to high-speed winds
Access to high-speed winds is tied closely to the importance of location and is crucial to the efficient running of a turbine and realising a maximum return on investment. According to renewable and hydro company Renewables First, it is sites with an annual average wind speed of 7m/s or more that are considered excellent for onshore wind generation. Consequently, moorland, mountains, hillsides and peatlands are especially well suited to onshore wind farms, and this is true of sites in both the UK and mainland Europe.
3.Easy access
Easy access underpins the viability of a suitable onshore wind farm location for two reasons – the first relates to access during the build and subsequent maintenance of turbines, and the second refers to access to the national grid.
This means onshore wind farm locations must have good access to the road network and avoid sites with steep gradients or difficult access routes, which could make it difficult for wagons with heavy loads or complex heavy lifting equipment to get on site. This is especially crucial during the build as large components require sizeable transporting and heavy lifting expertise – a wind turbine blade is approximately 52m long and weighs 12 tonnes. In addition, wind turbines need ongoing maintenance throughout the life of the farm, so sites have to be accessible all year round, whether that’s for planned/preventative or unscheduled repairs.
Sites also require easy access to the wider infrastructure required to take the power away from site and into the national grid – be that via 33kw power lines for larger turbines or transformers and substations for smaller turbines. Access to infrastructure will govern the suitability of even the windiest of sites.
4. Zero environmental restrictions
The preservation of wildlife habits and the protection of species of birds and bats are the most common barriers to onshore wind farm development in much of Europe. Consequently, it is sites that do not pose threats in these areas that are best suited to onshore wind farm development. Other factors to consider include whether the land is designated as part of a national park or an area of outstanding beauty – both factors which can make planning much more difficult to obtain.
With 253GW of onshore wind expected to come online by 2030 in the EU and more than 30GW in the UK – onshore wind has a significant and growing role in the future of Europe’s energy security and path to net zero. For wind farm investors and operators, choosing the right site – just like choosing the right turnkey service provider – is essential to maximise the return on investment and ensure a smooth transition from initial feasibility studies to ongoing operation.
Contact us to find out more about how our installation, commissioning, maintenance, servicing, component replacement and decommissioning expertise is supporting wind farm operators across Europe.
