First offshore wind park completed

The first offshore wind park in Germany has been completed. The 250 million euro project, named “alpha ventus” began just seven months ago. Located in Germany’s North Sea, the 12 separate wind turbines are expected to produce enough energy to meet the consumption requirements of 50,000 households.

Helicopter view of alpha ventus, Photo: (C) alpha ventus / Matthias Ibeler

The wind park is a pilot project by the energy companies EWE, E.ON and Vattenfall. Alpha ventus is located in Germany’s North Sea, approximately 45 kilometres north of the island of Borkum. “The construction of twelve 5-megawatt wind turbines 45 kilometers from the shore in waters 30 meters deep is a true piece of pioneering achievement and is the first of its kind worldwide,” said project director Wilfried Hube.

While six of the turbines are already in operation and are supplying environmentally-friendly offshore wind power to the German power grid, the remaining six turbines will gradually be added. The construction of the wind park was a logistical challenge according to Vattenfall’s Oliver Funk, with 25 different ships and over 350 people on site during the peak construction period in the summer of 2009. “As a result it is already a fact that the construction has provided us with valuable information for future offshore projects,” he said.

The harsh conditions of the German North Sea are expected to be a litmus test for the feasibility of offshore wind power in Germany.