BARD Offshore 1
| BARD Offshore 1 | |
|---|---|
  Location of BARD Offshore 1 in North Sea | |
| Country | Germany |
| Location | North Sea |
| Coordinates | 54°22′N 5°59′E / 54.36°N 5.98°ECoordinates: 54°22′N 5°59′E / 54.36°N 5.98°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | March 2010 |
| Commission date | August 26, 2013 |
| Owner(s) | Enovos |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Offshore |
| Distance from shore | 90 km (56 mi) |
| Hub height | 90 m (295 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 122 m (400 ft) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 80 x 5 MW |
| Make and model | BARD 5.0 |
| Nameplate capacity | 400 MW |
|
Website www.bard-offshore.de | |
BARD Offshore 1 is a 400 megawatt (MW) North Sea offshore wind farm with 80 BARD 5.0 turbines. Construction was finished in July 2013[1] and the wind farm was officially inaugurated in August 2013.[2] The wind farm is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of the isle Borkum in 40 metres (130 ft) deep water.[3]
Laying of cables to connect the wind farm started on July 23, 2009.[4] The 200 km connection is the longest of its kind in the world. It is also the first connection of an offshore wind park realized as HVDC-transmission. Construction of the wind turbines began in March 2010.[5] The first turbine became operational at the beginning of December 2010. Construction was assisted by the purpose-built Wind Lift 1 barge / platform, which placed the 470 ton, 21 meter foundations on the sea bed.
The project has run into serious and unclear problems, including being three years behind schedule and, at a cost of €3 billion, run significantly over budget. A diver[6] and a worker died during construction.[7][8] The farm was supposed to go online in August 2013, but a series of setbacks, including a fire at a transmission station in March 2014, have delayed its activation.[9] Problems include overvoltage and harmonics.[10] BARD's original owner had decided to make all components within the company, and troubles from the custom transformer are unrelated to standard equipment used elsewhere.[11]
As of January 2015, most of the turbines are not supplying power to shore, costing ratepayers €2million per day.[12]
See also
- Wind power in Germany
- List of Offshore Wind Farms
- Borkum Riffgat
References
- ↑ Press release: Pioneering wind farm project BARD Offshore 1 successfully completed on the high seas
- ↑ German Federal Minister Inaugurates BARD Offshore 1
- ↑ 5-MW BARD Near-shore Wind Turbine Erected in Germany
- ↑ DDP: Laying cables to wind farm started (in German)
- ↑ Wind farm in the ocean ready to go (in German)
- ↑ "Tauchunfall im Windpark" Diving accident in the wind farm Die Welt, 27 July 2010. Accessed: 25 February 2015.
- ↑ Pressemitteilung der BARD-Gruppe vom 27. Januar 2012 (PDF; 117 kB)
- ↑ Mitteilung der DGzRS, abgerufen am 4. Februar 2012
- ↑ Germany's Expensive Gamble on Renewable Energy by Matthew Karnitschnig, Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Rätselhafter Defekt legt größten Windpark lahm" Enigmatic defect paralyzes largest wind farm Die Welt, 3 September 2014. Accessed: 25 February 2015.
- ↑ "Größter deutscher Meereswindpark fällt aus" The largest German offshore wind park falls out Die Welt, 7 July 2014. Accessed: 25 February 2015.
- ↑ "Im größten Meereswindpark dreht sich wenig" In the largest offshore wind park little turns Die Welt, 26 January 2015. Accessed: 25 February 2015.