Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm

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Kentish Flats is operated by Vattenfall offshore wind farm in the southwestern North Sea off the southern English coast. He was with commissioning in 2005, the UK's largest offshore wind farm, but was soon surpassed by other wind farms in terms of electrical power. The cost of the entire project amounted to 105 million pounds.

In 2015, the wind farm by a further 17 wind turbines, each with 3.3 MW to be expanded.

Location

Kentish Flats is located off the coast of Kent in about 5 m water depth just outside the main shipping routes of the Thames. The distance to the southern town of Herne Bay and the town of Whitstable is 8.5 to 13 km, London is about 60 km away. The wind farm consists of five placed in an east-west orientation of rows of six wind turbines, the total area of the wind farm is 10 km ².

Technology

For use are 30 turbines of the type Vestas V90- 3MW, which were placed at a distance of 700 meters away, and the date of establishment of the Kentish Flats largest plants were in the UK. The plants have a rated power of 3 MW, a rotor diameter of 90 m and a hub height of 70 m, as the foundation came monopile used. The turn-on of the facilities located at 4 m / s, its rated power reach the turbines at 14 m / s, the cutoff speed is 25 m / s The generated electricity is fed into a transformer station in Herne Bay from British network, a transformer platform is not required by the coast.

Wind speed and power production

The average wind speed at the site is in hub height 8.7 m / s, which 280 GWh energy can be produced in an average wind year. The capacity factor is about 35%. In 2007, due to faulty bearings, the transmission of all 30 facilities had to be changed. Thus, the service actually provided power supply fell this year to 200 GWh.

Extension

In February 2013, the extension of the Kentish Flats offshore wind farms by 17 additional wind turbines has been approved. For use systems are of the type Vestas V112 with a rotor diameter of 112 meters and a rated output of 3.3 MW, to be built in 2015. The investment amounts to 170 million euros. Beginning of 2016 to be completed the work.

These systems are based on the manufactured for several years V112/3-MW version that should be used initially here. In the Kentish Flats offshore wind farms should be used instead for the first time the new type.