Wolf Wind Farm has recently completed the successful installation of its first revolutionary Vestas V163-4.5MW wind turbine model, one of 17 turbines that will make up the 85MW project in the Eastern Cape.
Representing a major leap for Red Rocket, the turbine model is the first of its kind to be used in South Africa and on the continent, putting the wind farm and our organisation ahead of the curve in the current wind technology landscape.
Speaking about what sets the turbine model apart, Red Rocket’s Project Engineer Michael Martin said the turbine was good news for Wolf Wind Farm in terms of peak efficiency.
“It is definitely the very first time it has been used with such a large blade in the region, making it more efficient in medium to low wind conditions in terms of what’s currently on the market.”
Of the 17 wind turbines, 12 will be the new V163-4.5MW model, while 5 will be the V162-6.2MW, itself a cutting-edge turbine on the market and expected to be the largest capacity turbine online in South Africa at its time of commissioning.
“From a project perspective, it is evident that Red Rocket is on a mission to push the boundaries by taking a chance on this new technology. Not only this, but embracing new technology always leads to innovation,” he said.
On its website, the Danish wind turbine-manufacturing company, Vestas, describes the V163-4.5MW model as one “featuring an 18 percent increase in swept area, with a large rotor-size-to-rating ratio, resulting in a higher capacity factor, leading up to 10 percent higher annual energy production at park level depending on site-specific conditions”. It has received praise around the world for its potential in maximising performance results.
Martin said the new turbine’s hub height stood at 113 metres, with the blade length measuring about 80 metres. “The foundation was over 21 metres in diameter and 3.4 metres in depth, using about 1 400 tons of concrete in the foundation’s casting. This highlights the sheer size of the turbine.”
At the time of writing, five wind turbines had been installed at the site, with the installation process progressing well. Along with the introduction of the new turbine, operational requirements at the site included the rebuild of 89km of the existing 132kV overhead line grid network as part of the interconnection works.
The project is planned to reach COD next year, after which the generated electricity, at 360GWh, is expected to cater to the energy needs of about 110 000 households annually.
Wolf Wind Farm is one of three of Red Rocket’s Bid Window 5 wind projects under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme which are currently under construction. The other two projects, Brandvalley and Rietkloof wind farms, are located between the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces, each boasting nameplate capacities of 144MW. There are 32 Vestas V150-4.5MW turbines at each site.
