MIDDELGRUNDEN OFFSHORE WIND FARM, DENMARK

Middelgrunden offshore wind farm, near Copenhagen, Denmark (55°40' N, 12°38' E)

In March 2001, Middlegrunden in Denmark became the world's largest offshore wind farm. Estimated annual production is 85,000MWh, equal to 3% of Copenhagen's total consumption. 20 Bonus 2MW turbines are placed 180m apart in a curve, with a total windfarm length of 3.4km.

The wind farm was developed off the Danish coast by a consortium of Københavns Energi and Middelgrundens Vindmøllelaug. The two partners own ten 2MW turbines each in Middelgrunden.

The turbines are equipped with a modified corrosion protection, internal climate control, high-grade external paint and built-in service cranes. Middelgrunden was previously used as a filling up area with a water depth of 2m to 6m.

Harvesting The Wind

The exploitable onshore wind resource for the EU-25 is conservatively estimated at 600 TWh and the offshore wind resource up to 3,000 TWh; the upper end of this far exceeding the EU-15’s entire electricity consumption. The European Wind Atlas produced by the Danish national research laboratory, Forskningscenter Risø, gives a good overview of the EU potential. Although some countries have pushed ahead fast, most European nations still have large wind resources waiting to be exploited. There is also considerable potential in new Member States and in Candidate Countries.

Free Fuel Forever

"With the world talking about how expensive fuel is, the merits of a technology providing a free fuel supply are indisputable. In the context of rising oil prices, a reappraisal of the economic value of wind energy is overdue. Forward price assumptions of US$20 to US$28 a barrel, as used in the EU’s current energy scenario up to 2030, now appear patently unrealistic. Wind power has zero fuel price risk, zero fuel costs and extremely low operation and maintenance costs. In addition, wind provides total protection from carbon costs, and zero geo-political risk associated with supply and infrastructure constraints or political dependence on other countries. Wind power has no resource constraints; the fuel is free and endless. As oil prices continue to spiral upwards, the era of cheap fossil fuels is coming to an end. The era of free fuel, which is what wind energy delivers, is coming into its own." Corin Millais, CEO, EWEA

Our goal is to promote wind energy through validated measurments

Macedonia has promising indigenous resources of renewable energy. These include hydropower, geothermal energy, biomass energy and, in the longer term, wind energy. However, there is still a lack of proper research for most of the renewable energy sources in the country.

Let The Rotors Roll

Very few references to Macedonia’s wind energy potential can be found in studies and papers. Data on wind potential in Macedonia has been measured infrequently, therefore the available data is only indicative and concrete conclusions or planned projects can not be drawn.

The most favourable area for wind energy applications is probably the Vardar river basin from Kumanovo in the north to Gevgelija in the south of Macedonia. Other areas of possible importance are mainly mountainous areas. According to data published in the “Energy Sector Development Strategy” of the Academy of Science, the area around Stip (the central part of Macedonia) is one of the most favourable in terms of wind speed. Indicative measurements identify several locations with good wind conditions. However, the Macedonian wind map is far from complete and the PHARE study recommends that “a systematic measuring campaign is required in order to draw safe estimations about the wind energy potential”.