Iceland launches its first wind farm

Iceland’s first wind farm, Vaðölduver, is being commissioned on Tuesday, mbl.is reports. Fourteen wind turbines were erected this year, with 14 more scheduled for next year.

The project will have an installed capacity of up to 120 megawatts and an estimated average annual output of about 440 gigawatt-hours. Construction began in the second half of May and progressed well, with between 200 and 300 people working at the site at its peak this summer.

Electricity production will depend on wind speeds and will generally be highest when winds are strong. Wind power will complement Landsvirkjun’s hydropower system by allowing production from hydropower plants to be reduced when wind generation is high and increased again when the wind weakens.

The turbines generate electricity as wind turns their blades, which rotate a shaft connected to a generator. At Vaðölduver, this familiar principle is used on a much larger scale, with electricity fed into the power grid.

The first turbine took 10 days to install. The work was carried out by German manufacturer Enercon and subcontractors from across Europe, including Spain and Romania.

The turbine towers are 80 metres high and arrive in three sections. Each turbine has three blades, each 69 metres long and weighing nearly 24 tonnes. The rotor diameter is 138 metres, and the structures reach a total height of 150 metres when a blade is at its highest point.