Location: Wolf Bog – Northern Ireland
Cables: TratosGreen
Wind farm: 10 MW
Tratos & Wind energy
Since 1980, Tratos has been using clean renewable energy from its own hydroelectric plant. In 2001, the company started producing TratosGreen, a cable made using only hydroelectric energy.
Tratos has supplied medium voltage cables and optical fibre cables to several wind farms around Europe, for example Altahullion and Wolf Bog.
Wolf Bog Wind Farm
Wolf Bog Wind Farm in Northern Ireland was bought by Scottish Power from Renewable Energy Systems for over £10M, making it the biggest onshore wind generator in the province.
Scottish Power claims that the five turbine, 10MW project in County Antrim has generated enough energy for over 5,000 homes and offset 22,000t of CO2, equivalent to taking over 7,000 cars off the roads.
The Wolf Bog Wind Farm became operational in spring 2008.
Scottish Power’s total UK wind capacity now totals 355 MW – enough to power 200,000 homes and displace 800,000t of CO2 every year. In Northern Ireland, the total capacity, including Wolf Bog, is now 37 MW.
Did you know?
As the name suggests, wind energy, or wind power, is the process whereby wind is used to generate electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic wind energy into mechanical power, which can be used for specific tasks or to turn into electricity.
A wind farm is a collection of wind turbines in the same location to create electricity. They can be installed onshore or offshore, for example the London Array is the largest offshore wind farm in the world with 175 turbines, 20km off the coast of Kent.
Recent statistics by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that in 2017 Q2 onshore wind generation increased by 50 per cent from a year earlier to 6.0 TWh, while offshore wind rose by 22 per cent, to 4.0 TWh.
Here are a couple of wind farm projects:
Hornsea Project One is an offshore wind farm that is being constructed on the east coast of Humberside. The first phase is for 1.2GW and 174 units of turbines. The project is due to be completed 2021.
Rampion Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm development by E.ON off the Sussex coast, with an output of 400MW. The 116 turbine project was completed 2018.
East Anglia ONE is an offshore wind farm by ScottishPower Renewables that is currently being constructed. The wind farm will consist of 102 turbines and will have a capacity to generate 714MW. East Anglia ONE is expected to complete in 2020.
Advantages of wind energy
- Wind is a reliable and infinite renewable energy resource
- Wind energy is cost effective, and prices are dropping still
- Wind energy reduces carbon emissions when used instead of fossil fuels
- Few running costs when the turbines are up and running
- Offshore wind farms can take advantage of offshore wind flow, without affecting the landscape view.
Disadvantages of wind energy
- Wind energy can be unpredictable as the amount of electricity generated is dependent on the speed and direction of the wind
- Wind farms can affect the visual appearance of the landscape
- Wind turbines can damage the habitats of birds and marine life
- Wind farms can be expensive to construct
Tratos is very pleased to contribute toward achieving Goal 7 of the UN Global Goals to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Goal 13: Climate Action, GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being, and Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Tratos manufactures a wide variety of cables for renewable applications, such as:
- TRATOSWIND – Developed for use in wind turbines
- TRATOSDEDALUS – Designed and developed for use in photovoltaic installations
- Tratos Tidal Power Cable – Designed for use with tidal stream turbines
