WHAT DO TURBINES DO?

Standing Out Magazine | NOVEMBER 2022

We got some insights from Globeleq, the leading independent power company in Africa.

Ever driven out of Cape Town up the coast on the N2 and stared in awe at those massive turbines in the farmlands outside Caledon? Or gotten as far as the Eastern Cape for your summer holiday and wondered why they seem to be taking over the landscape in the St Francis Bay area? Read on.

Spanning some 3 700 hectares with 60 wind turbines, the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm (just outside Humansdorp and visible from St Francis Bay) is one of the largest wind farms in South Africa. It is connected to a 132-kilo Volt (kV) Eskom distribution line. It generates approximately 450 600 megawatt hours (MWh) per year, supplying enough clean renewable electrical energy to power more than 100 000 average South African households. Just outside Caledon, the Klipheuwel Wind Farm generates approximately 86 gigawatt hours per year, supplying enough energy to power more than 19 000 average homes.

CLEAN ENERGY

Electricity produced from wind is clean and renewable. Wind generation reduces the country’s reliance on coal-fired generation, which emits CO2 and other damaging gases into the environment. Wind energy does not consume water during the generation process it also helps preserve scarce water resources.

In the Jeffreys Bay Farm, the wind turbines are 80m tall to allow for optimum energy production, however, when one of the blades stands vertically, the turbine’s tip height is an

impressive 132m. Both wind farms have a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Eskom and an Implementation Agreement with the Government of South Africa.

COMMUNITY UPLIFTMENT

As with all of Globeleq’s other similar projects, a percentage of revenues is spent on socio-economic and enterprise development programmes. Enterprise Development includes initiatives to assist and accelerate the sustainability of local enterprises, while socio-economic development initiatives promote access to the economy for all people. In addition to various development projects, the communities also have equity. For example, six percent of the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm is owned by the Amandla Omoya Trust. This ownership level is significantly higher than the government’s minimum threshold of 2.5% local ownership. The loan will be repaid through the shareholder dividends generated by the project and thereafter the Trust will use its share of the dividends to benefit the local community within the Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, Hankey and Patensie areas.

INCREASED BIODIVERSITY

The Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm’s Biodiversity Advisory Committee – which includes bird specialists, environmentalists and wind farm employees – works hard to ensure that the surrounding area’s biodiversity is not critically impacted by its operations, but rather improved.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

“The committee is well established, having been set up almost two years ago, with the goal of checking progress on the committed action plan (biodiversity management plan), ensuring sufficient resources are available for implementation, checking the effectiveness of measures being implemented and advising on measures to be pursued,” explained Marli Schoeman, Environmental Specialist at Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm.

The wind farm recently announced the commencement of its second bird conservation trial following a successful pilot study last year. Known as an Observer Led Shut Down on Demand (OLSDOD) programme, it is aimed at mitigating the loss of priority bird species on the wind farm. Through the installation of acoustic deterrent devices on selected turbines, the wind farm is seeing significantly reduced bat fatalities. For some turbines, this reduction can be as much as 80% and 100%.

Pilot studies began in 2018, with Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm installing acoustic deterrent devices on a number of wind turbine generators. These devices emit ultrasound frequencies that deter echolocating bats so that they are repelled away from turbines, thereby preventing collision with the blades.

“This type of mitigation measure is a win-win, as wind turbines do not need to be shut down, as used in shut-down-on-demand or curtailment measures, and bat conservation improves significantly, specifically amongst insect-eating bats that navigate by using echolocation. These bats are of particular importance as they

significantly reduce pest levels, especially those that negatively impact agriculture,” said Schoeman.

Insectivorous bats send out sound waves through their mouths or noses and listen to the echoes to work out where objects are and what they are. Their senses are so fine-tuned they are able to find and identify objects as tiny as the insects they eat.

Discussions with the Civil Aviation Authorities are also underway to explore blade painting as mitigation, and exploratory discussions about Black Harrier protection are also in progress with local landowners.

In addition to Black Harriers, there are two other endangered bird species (Martial Eagle and African Marsh-Harrier) on the priority list, as well as five other lesser-threatened species, namely: Lanner Falcon; Secretary Bird; Blue Crane; White Bellied Korhaan; Lanner Falcon; and the Denham’s Bustard.

THE FUTURE

With the demand for electricity continuing to grow in South Africa, the growth of this clean energy sector will have ever larger and far-reaching benefits for the country’s power sector, economy and people.

Website: www.jeffreysbaywindfarm.co.za