RWE has doubled the output from the Elisenhof wind farm in Germany, following its repowering.
At the site in the Paderborn district in North Rhine-Westphalia, only two wind turbines are now in operation instead of the original nine while electricity production has also been doubled, to 11.4MW.
Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, said: “This project is a good example of how the energy transition can succeed.
“We were able to build on the acceptance of the population and now produce more than twice as much green electricity.
“Thanks to the RWE climate bonus, the local communities also benefit from this repowering project: for every kilowatt hour produced, we voluntarily pay 0.2 cents to the surrounding communities. That’s an additional income of around €40,000 per year.”
Elisenhof is also a showcase project in terms of recycling since the main components of the dismantled wind farm are being given a second life in Spain.
The RWE team has overhauled the rotor blades, nacelles, hubs and control cabinets of the old turbines in the company’s own workshop showing it is possible to extend the service life of its Spanish wind farms by 10 to 15 years.
RWE is implementing another repowering project in Emsland.
At the Lengerich site, the company is replacing the old 1.8MW turbine with a 5.7MW version.
The larger rotor blades can capture significantly more wind, which increases electricity production by around 400%:
While around 1000 households were previously supplied with climate-neutral electricity, the new wind turbine produces green electricity for around 4000 households.
The plant is scheduled to go into operation this winter.
In addition, RWE will repower two further wind farms in Lower Saxony.
The company is replacing a total of 17 wind turbines in Lesse and Barbecke, in Salzgitter and in the district of Peine, with a total capacity of 30.6MW, with 11 turbines with a total of 61.8MW.