Darling Wind Farm

Darling Wind Farm
Darling Wind Farm, Western Cape, South Africa
Location of Darling Wind Farm in South Africa
Country	South Africa
Location	13 km north west of Darling, Western Cape
Coordinates	33°19′1″S 18°15′34″E / 33.31694°S 18.25944°E / -33.31694; 18.25944Coordinates: 33°19′1″S 18°15′34″E / 33.31694°S 18.25944°E / -33.31694; 18.25944
Commission date	2008
Owner(s)	Darling Wind Power
Power generation
Units operational	4 turbines 6 additional turbines planned
Nameplate capacity	5.2 MW

Darling Wind Farm was one of the first two wind farms in South Africa. It is located 70 km (43 mi) north of Cape Town, between Darling and Yzerfontein on the west coast of South Africa. It is a Department of Energy demonstrator site with the 4 turbines constructed.^[1] The second phase, 6 additional turbines, was never completed.

Darling Wind Power company is subject to liquidation. The DWP Board adopted a resolution to liquidate the company. Expected to operate at 28% capacity and deliver 13.2 GWh per year, it has only been delivering 8 GWh^[2] per year at 19% capacity. 19% percent is actually quite good, German wind farms average 18%, but clearly the business model could not support the lower performance.^[3][4]

Design

It currently consists of 4 horizontal axis turbines with an installed capacity of 5.2MW. The plan is for an additional 6 turbines to give 13MW total generating capacity. ^[5]

The Turbines were built by Fuhrländer AG Germany. (http://www.darlingwindfarm.co.za/projectfactsheet.htm)

See also

• List of power stations in South Africa

References