Arklow Bank Wind Park
Encyclopedia
The Arklow Bank Wind Park is the first offshore wind farm
in Ireland
and the world's first commercial application of offshore wind turbine
s over 3 megawatts in size. It is located on the Arklow Bank, a shallow water sandbank in the Irish Sea
, around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) off the coast of Arklow
with an area of 27 by.
The project is being co-developed by Airtricity
and GE Energy. In 2002, Airtricity obtained an offshore lease for a 520 MW offshore wind farm. The first phase of the project, commissioned in June 2004, consists of seven GE 3.6-megawatt generators. They were installed by the Danish offshore wind farms services provider A2SEA
. Power cables were laid by Five Oceans Services. All of the turbines have a height of 73.5 metres (241.1 ft) and height to top of blade of 124 metres (406.8 ft). The blade length is 50.5 metres (165.7 ft) and each turbine has three blades. Each turbine weights 290 tonnes. They use steel monopole foundations driven in by a hydraulic hammer. The distance between turbines is 600 metres (1,968.5 ft). Generated electricity is fed to ESB Networks distribution grid through the Arklow National Grid Substation.
Phase 2 of the Arklow Project was to be developed in partnership with Acciona Energy
of Spain. The development was to consist of a further 193 turbines. However, Phase 2 and the planned connection to Eirgrid
transmission system was canceled in 2007.
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and the world's first commercial application of offshore wind turbine
Wind 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 over 3 megawatts in size. It is located on the Arklow Bank, a shallow water sandbank in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
, around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) off the coast of Arklow
Arklow
Arklow , also known as Inbhear Dé from the Avonmore river's older name Abhainn Dé, is a historic town located in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. Founded by the Vikings in the ninth century, Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion...
with an area of 27 by.
The project is being co-developed by Airtricity
Airtricity
Airtricity was founded in 1997 in the Republic of Ireland and now is a renewable energy company owned by Scottish and Southern Energy...
and GE Energy. In 2002, Airtricity obtained an offshore lease for a 520 MW offshore wind farm. The first phase of the project, commissioned in June 2004, consists of seven GE 3.6-megawatt generators. They were installed by the Danish offshore wind farms services provider A2SEA
A2SEA
A2SEA is an offshore wind farm installation and services company based in Fredericia, Denmark. The company is specialized on transport, installation, and servicing of offshore wind farms. In addition to Denmark, the company has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Germany.-History:A2SEA was...
. Power cables were laid by Five Oceans Services. All of the turbines have a height of 73.5 metres (241.1 ft) and height to top of blade of 124 metres (406.8 ft). The blade length is 50.5 metres (165.7 ft) and each turbine has three blades. Each turbine weights 290 tonnes. They use steel monopole foundations driven in by a hydraulic hammer. The distance between turbines is 600 metres (1,968.5 ft). Generated electricity is fed to ESB Networks distribution grid through the Arklow National Grid Substation.
Phase 2 of the Arklow Project was to be developed in partnership with Acciona Energy
Acciona Energy
Acciona Energy, a subsidiary of Acciona based in Madrid, is a Spanish company developing renewable energy projects, including small hydro, biomass, solar energy and thermal energy, and the marketing of biofuels. It also has assets in the field of co-generation and wind turbine manufacture...
of Spain. The development was to consist of a further 193 turbines. However, Phase 2 and the planned connection to Eirgrid
Eirgrid
EirGrid plc is the state-owned electric power transmission operator in the Republic of Ireland. It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Acts; Its shares are held by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources who appoints the board and the Minister for Finance...
transmission system was canceled in 2007.
See also
- List of offshore wind farms
- List of offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea
- Wind power in Ireland