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> Wind Parks in Romania Issue: 2011-2 Section: Green Energy

Romanian

 

Prof. Lucian Constantin Vlădescu

 

Energy from clean sources is necessary in our industrialized world. One such source is wind energy which can move huge electrical power generators known as wind turbines. More wind turbines grouped form a wind farm.

According to the Romanian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Fig. 1), best places to install the wind turbines are located in the Carpathian Mountains, Dobrogea and Moldavia regions, also provided a wind map of Romania.

The first wind power plant in Romania was build at 8 kilometers from Ploiesti. It provides electricity for the companies located on the Industrial Park Ploiesti. According to the same source, high capacity wind turbines are not economically viable to be installed in the rest of the country. In Constanta county we have Cogealac, Fântânele wind parks. Here are also, some wind farms in Tulcea county: Casimcea, Baia, Topolog, Macin and Valea Nucarilor.

Cogealac and Fantanele wind parks have an installed capacity of 600 MW. In a first stage, which ended in mid 2009, these wind parks had an installed capacity of 347.5 MW, generated by 139 wind turbines. The second stage, which completed the project, was finalized in 2010. The CEZ group also stated that it intends to invest an additional 1.1 billion euros, and renewable energy production will cover a third of the Romanian market, currently in the modest threshold of 7 MW.

  • Baia Wind Farm consists of three turbines.
  • Topolog wind park consists of a single turbine.
  • Macin wind park is also composed of a single turbine.

Nucarilor Valley Park currently has three wind turbines in operation and seems to be working on installing an additional five turbines. In Cluj County, in Tureni city is another wind farm.

Caras-Severin county is expected to built some wind farms on Muntele Mic and Semenic Mountains, in Bistra Valley and in the Clisura Dunarii.

The Spanish company Iberdrola Renovables SA has signed a contract with Eolica Dobrogea which gives it the right to the acquisition of approximately 50 wind farms in Eastern Romania, for a sum ranging between 200 and 300 million euros, depending on the final number of acquired parks. Wind farms with a total capacity of 1,600 MW are owned by the joint company Eolica Dobrogea controlled by Dobrogea AG, a branch of Swiss company NEK, and Rokura company from Romania. According to the strategic energy program of of Romania, by 2015 Romania will have to provide from renewable sources 35% of the gross domestic consumption and the share will reach 38% in 2020.

Wind parks are generally comprised of one or more wind turbines connected to the electric grid. They are comprised of wind turbines, power rectifiers, transformers and power factor correction equipment. Wind parks can be built on ground, or more recently on the sea bed, in the form of offshore wind farms, where wind has a more stable presence thus reducing the noise and improving the aesthetics.

Wind energy is a form of clean, renewable energy, which during operation produces no carbon dioxide. While some of these emissions will occur in the design, manufacture, transport and installation of wind turbines, enough electricity is generated from a wind park within a few months to fully offset the emissions of production. When wind farms are dismantled (usually after 20-25 years of operation) they leave no legacy of pollution for future generations.

Given the scale needed to reduce carbon dioxide, I believe that wind power is the most developed renewable energy technology and is built the fastest.

 

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