Country’s first wind farm begins operations

The country’s first wind farm, Vaðölduver, is being commissioned today, mbl.is reports. Fourteen wind turbines have been erected this year, with 14 more expected to be built next year.

The facility will have an installed capacity of up to 120 megawatts and an estimated average annual output of about 440 gigawatt-hours.

Construction began in late May and has progressed well. Between 200 and 300 people worked at the construction site at its busiest during the summer.

Wind drives the generators

Electricity production from the turbines will depend on wind strength and will generally be highest when winds are strong. Wind power is intended to complement Landsvirkjun’s hydropower system by allowing hydropower production to be reduced when wind output is high and increased again when the wind falls.

The wind turns the turbine blades, which rotate a shaft connected to a generator that produces electricity. At Vaðölduver, this principle is used on a much larger scale, with the area’s strong and steady winds driving the blades and electricity being fed into the power grid.

Turbines stand 150 metres tall

Enercon, a German manufacturer, worked with subcontractors from across Europe, including Spain and Romania, to install the turbines. Installing the first turbine took 10 days.

The towers arrived in three sections and are 80 metres high. Each turbine has three blades, measuring 69 metres in length and weighing almost 24 tonnes. The blades span 138 metres, and the turbines reach a total height of 150 metres when a blade is at its highest point.