South Africa's first alternative energy initiative to produce electricity from wind power has been switched on.
Established below Moedmaag Hill,a few kilometres from Darling in the Western Cape, the R75 million Darling Wind Farm Project is the first grid connected, independent energy power-generating facility developed in South Africa, reports FIN24.com.
"The country has the potential to generate electricity from wind in excess of its current total national power consumption and without the harmful effects of fossil fuel and nuclear-powered generation plants," CEO of Darling Wind Power Hermann Oelsner told FIN24.com.
The project is a private-public partnership between the Department of Minerals and Energy, the Central Energy Fund and the Darling Independent Power Producers. The Danish government's International Development Assistance funded part of the project.
The facility consists of four German-designed wind turbines. The structures are 50m high with the blades spanning 31m. Each turbine will produce 1.3MW of electricity bringing the total output of the wind farm to 5.2MW.
The project is referred to as the National Demonstration Project and will be used as an example for future public private partnerships in the establishment of alternative electricity generation.
