- While you are likely familiar with the concept of wind farms, there may be some terms that you’re unfamiliar with. For example: Onshore and Offshore.
Humans have been using wind power for thousands of years. From pumping water and crushing grain to generating electricity, renewable wind energy production methods and applications have evolved incredibly over recent years. Today, wind power is delivering increasing shares of electricity generation. At ACCIONA Energía, roughly 80% of our renewable energy production comes from wind power. Let's take a look at Onshore and Offshore wind energy.
What is Onshore Wind Energy?
Onshore wind energy uses turbines installed on sparsely populated land that is predominantly used for farming, without impacting farming practices.
Let’s take a look at some aspects of Onshore Wind Farms:
- Environmental Effects: Installation of onshore wind farms including construction, operations and maintenance have an energy payback of less than 12 months, compared to other non-renewable energy sources that produce toxic emissions and no energy payback. Normal farming practices are also able to continue for onshore wind farm projects, which is quite common for some of ACCIONA Energía's Australian projects.
- Cost-effective: The infrastructure cost of an onshore wind farm is reasonably inexpensive. The installation costs for onshore wind farms are modest and don’t require as complex logistics as other energy options.
- Installation: Installing a wind turbine is generally quite quick, taking only a few months from excavation to commissioning. Check out this video to see in 2 minutes how we install a wind turbine.
What is Offshore Wind Energy?
Offshore wind farms need oceans with high wind speeds. Offshore wind turbines are increasingly popular as there are no physical restrictions to the wind at sea, meaning an availability of faster wind speeds. These increased wind speeds allow turbines to generate more electricity. Offshore wind technology is crucial for the clean energy transition, and it is expected to undergo exponential growth in the coming years.
Now let's take a look at some of the aspects of Offshore Wind Farms:
- More Clean Energy Generation: Larger projects are more feasible offshore due to greater seabed areas available for development. So, offshore wind energy projects can generate large amounts of clean energy.
- High Wind Speeds: Wind in oceans is generally quite high and consistent, making the energy production by offshore wind turbines very favourable.
- Larger Turbines: Offshore turbines can be (and need to be) built bigger as there are less constraints on size, and the turbines need to be bigger to process the higher wind speeds. This means that the turbines are more efficient in the amount of energy they process.
- Less Visual Effects: Offshore wind farms are better able to mitigate visual impacts as they can be placed further away from towns and populations.
What are some of ACCIONA Energía's Australian onshore wind farms?
ACCIONA Energía is dedicated to building, operating and maintaining wind energy infrastructure, with over 30 years of experience in the clean energy sector.
With multiple wind farm projects across Australia, some of the company’s leading onshore projects include:
The MacIntyre Wind Precinct has begun construction. This project is being delivered in partnership with CleanCo, the Queensland Government's newest renewable energy generator, and is expected to become fully operational in 2024. With 1,026MW capacity, the MacIntyre Wind Precinct will be the company’s biggest renewable energy project and one of the largest onshore wind farms in the Southern Hemisphere. This wind precinct is also leading the way in climate change relief strategies, whilst allowing farming practices to continue across the land.
The Mt Gellibrand Wind Farm, located in the heart of Colac Otway Shire, has been operational since 2018 and has a capacity of 132 MW. The wind farm constructed around the southern and western sides of Mt Gellibrand has renewable energy production to power almost 90,000 households.
Mortlake South Wind Farm, constructed on cleared open land exposed to consistent winds, is expected to be operational this year and has 157.5 MW of power capacity. The wind farm will produce clean energy to power 117,000 households.
Waubra Wind Farm has been operational since 2009 and has a 192 MW capacity. The wind farm produces clean energy to power around 110,000 homes.
What is the company doing in the area of offshore wind farms?
ACCIONA Energía recently announced that we are taking a leading stake in floating offshore wind startup Eolink. Eolink specialises in the development of floating foundations for offshore wind energy and with ACCIONA Energía acquiring 24% of the capital of the French company, we have become a main shareholder.
ACCIONA Energía is the largest utility in the world without a fossil legacy, exclusively operating in renewable technologies, with more than 30 years’ industry experience and one of the most expert teams in the world. We design integrated energy solutions for a better planet. These solutions improve the lives of the communities, where we create long-term relationships and lasting positive impact.