Alpha Ventus 1 & 2
- Type: Wind Farm
- Latitude: 54.0110000
- Longitude: 6.6070000
Alpha Ventus Offshore Wind Farm Profile
Location and Overview
- The Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm is located in the North Sea, approximately 45 kilometers north of the German island of Borkum and 60 kilometers off the German coast.
- It was the first German offshore wind farm, commissioned in April 2010, following a construction phase that began in 2009.
Ownership and Development
- The project was developed by Deutsche Offshore-Testfeld und Infrastruktur GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture formed by EWE AG, E.ON (now RWE), and Vattenfall Europe New Energy GmbH.
- The current ownership distribution is: EWE 47.5%, RWE 26.25%, and Vattenfall 26.25%.
Turbines and Capacity
- The wind farm consists of 12 wind turbines, each with a rated power of 5 MW, totaling a capacity of 60 MW.
- Phase I includes six Senvion 5M turbines mounted on jacket foundations.
- Phase II includes six Adwen AD 5-116 turbines mounted on tripod foundations.
Technical Specifications
- Senvion 5M Turbines:
- Rotor diameter: 126 meters
- Hub height: 92 meters
- Total height above seabed: 185 meters
- Rated output: 5 MW
- Speed: 6.9 - 12.1 rpm
- Cut-in wind speed: 3.5 m/s
- Rated wind speed: 13.0 m/s
- Cut-out wind speed: 30 m/s
- Adwen AD 5-116 Turbines:
- Rotor diameter: 116 meters
- Hub height: 90 meters
- Total height above seabed: 178 meters
- Rated output: 5 MW
- Speed: 5.9 - 14.8 rpm
- Cut-in wind speed: 3.5 m/s
- Rated wind speed: 12.5 m/s
- Cut-out wind speed: 25 m/s
Foundation and Infrastructure
- The turbines are installed on two types of foundations:
- Jacket foundations for the Senvion 5M turbines
- Tripod foundations for the Adwen AD 5-116 turbines.
- The wind farm includes an offshore transformer station where the electricity is increased from 33 kV to 110 kV before being transmitted to the mainland via a 60 km long submarine cable.
Grid Connection
- The electricity generated is routed through submarine cables to the offshore substation, then increased to 110 kV and transmitted to the mainland via Norderney. It is fed into the Hagermarsch substation and then into the German transmission network managed by TenneT TSO GmbH.
Energy Production
- From 2010 to 2019, Alpha Ventus generated approximately 2.1 terawatt hours (TWh) of power, averaging 201 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year, which is equivalent to the annual power consumption of about 57,000 average households in Germany.
- The wind farm can produce around 3,800 hours of power per year under full load, which is about 50% more than a comparable onshore wind farm.
Research and Monitoring
- Alpha Ventus is associated with the research institute RAVE (Research at Alpha Ventus), which conducts extensive studies on offshore wind energy. The research platform FINO 1, located 400 meters west of the wind farm, supports these efforts.
- The wind farm has been equipped with extensive measurement technology, including load sensors and SCADA system data, which have been used in various load validation studies.
Environmental Impact
- The project includes comprehensive environmental monitoring, focusing on marine mammals, fish, bottom creatures, and birds. Baseline surveys were conducted before construction, and ongoing monitoring continues during operation.
Operations and Maintenance
- Operations and maintenance services are provided by Adwen and Deutsche Windtechnik. The wind farm is controlled from the operations room of EWE Offshore Service & Solutions GmbH in Oldenburg.
Flag | Name | Type | Date |
---|---|---|---|
VERDI | Other | 9/22/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 9/21/2024 | |
NJORD ALPHA | Other | 9/20/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 9/20/2024 | |
FRITZ REUTER | Pleasure | 9/20/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 9/19/2024 | |
NJORD ALPHA | Other | 9/18/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 9/19/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 9/18/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 9/18/2024 | |
RS SENTINEL | baycraft | 9/18/2024 | |
CALIMA | Other | 9/7/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 9/5/2024 | |
CALIMA | Other | 9/2/2024 | |
CALIMA | Other | 9/1/2024 | |
CALIMA | Other | 9/1/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 8/28/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 8/28/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 8/28/2024 | |
VERDI | Other | 8/28/2024 |