Site, technology, co-ordinating with the official authorities

Basis of an economically attractive and environmentally sensible wind farm

• Acquisition of the site and wind analysis
• Choice of plant
• Approval

The development of the relevant site marks the beginning of any successful wind farm project. For this purpose, the necessary land must be acquired and the prevailing wind conditions must be carefully analysed. Here, a number of factors must be borne in mind: Is the relevant site available? Are there objections to its use as a wind farm from an ecological point of view? Is the site in harmony with the wishes of the population? And finally the most important question: What are the wind conditions on site? Because only if there is a sufficient average annual wind speed can a wind farm be operated in an economically viable manner. A careful analysis of the prevailing local wind conditions is carried out for this purpose. Based on the results of this wind analysis, the most economically viable wind turbine equipment is selected in harmony with the prevailing conditions at the future site. Here, for example, the hub height of the windmills is important. After this preparatory work has been completed, i.e. the framework data for the future wind farm has already been defined, the project is presented to the responsible official authorities for approval.

In the offshore sector, the procedure is basically similar in this phase even though it involves significantly higher costs. Water depth, shipping lanes and tides make special demands on planning. The approval procedure for wind farm projects on the high seas is substantial and involves an auditing process lasting several years. In this sector, PNE WIND AG has also provided evidence of its competence by already having obtained approval for four offshore wind farm projects in German waters.