Green Progress
The wind farm at Húsahagi is a major achievement in our green energy strategy, and a significant step toward realizing our goal of 100% green electricity production by 2030, states Hákun Djurhuus, CEO of SEV.
The wind farm officially came online on 9 October 2014, but even during testing in September it yielded more than 60% of total production. During the following October, SEV produced 75% of its electricity from hydropower and wind, confirming overwhelmingly SEV’s strategy of achieving 60-70 % green production over the course of the next few years.
Even now, SEV is already ahead of its 2006 strategic goal, suggesting that by 2015 SEV should be able to generate 55% of its total production from hydropower and wind, with the remaining 45% derived from oil. To reach its goal of 100% green energy production by 2030, SEV will implement pumped storage systems into its hydropower infrastructure and harness the power of the tidal currents.
„During 2014, we took a giant step forward on the green path, a step that should truly please all of us. SEV is owned by the Faroese people and the excellent progress we are making in utilizing sustainable energy resources will bring benefit to us all“, observes Jákup Suni Lauritzen, Chairman of the Board.
Over the years, SEV has closely monitored ongoing research and development abroad in the use of renewable energy and has adopted and implemented new systems and technology as they became available. A confluence of advances in several technical areas is now allowing SEV to successfully integrate more wind energy into the Faroese electric grid.
Technological improvements
„Several new systems today allow more wind energy into the grid. Technological improvements, coupled with the unique natural forces found here in the Faroes, are proving very favourable to advancing our green energy strategy“ notes Terji Nielsen, Project Manager for the Húsahagi wind farm.
Nielsen also notes that the wind turbines SEV has deployed are more advanced and more adaptable to fluctuating demand than its previous wind turbines and the ancillary electrical equipment now installed is better suited to the Faroese grid.
A battery system for the Húsahagi wind farm is under development. The system is designed to store the electricity generated by the turbines and then release the stored power into the grid for brief moments – seconds or minutes – according to demand. The battery system provides a more even supply and thus helps to secure a more stable electricity supply to SEV’s customers.
The Power Hub is another new system that allows more wind into the grid. Power Hub monitors the flow of electricity in the grid and disconnects large users if a production fault is observed causing less available power than overall demand. The Power Hub stabilizes the grid and makes it able to absorb the normal fluctuations in wind power.
In addition, ongoing improvements and the implementation of new technology, both at the thermal power plants and the hydropower plants, have enabled these power plants to be better integrated with, for example, unstable wind energy production. Finally, a new control system will be implemented to gain the most optimal use and effect of wind production possible.
When all is said and done, SEV is fully prepared to meet the green challenges of the future. The production output from the Húsahagi wind farm is 11.7 MW. The turbines are manufactured by ENERCON and can produce 41 GWh annually. The total cost of the Húsahagi wind farm project is around DKK 180 million.