30,000
Equivalent Homes
CLEAN, NON-POLLUTING ENERGY
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
1 in 8 people still do not have access to electricity. In order to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, it is necessary to increase the use of renewable energy from 25 % today to 38 % in 2025.
ACCIONA is positioning itself as a key player in addressing the growth in energy demand while curbing the progress of global warming and promoting the transition to a decarbonized energy model.
CLIMATE ACTION
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
The generation and use of energy is responsible for 74 % of total greenhouse gas emissions in the world. This activity is the largest contributor to global warming. Investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and other low carbon technologies will continue to be essential to meet the new needs of humanity and to minimise their negative impact on the environment.
ACCIONA considers the fight against climate change and its related effects to be a strategic priority. The Company is working to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in order to contribute to the progress of society and respond to the main challenges of sustainable development in the areas of infrastructure, water and energy, leading the transition to a low-carbon economy.
El Cabrito, the oldest wind farm in Cádiz province, has been repowered 24 years after its start-up in 1995 with the aim of improving its technical efficiency and reducing the impact on its surroundings.
The main change is the replacement of ninety 330-kW wind turbines of obsolete technology with 12 Nordex-Acciona Windpower machines (8 x 3 MW and 4 x 1.5 MW), maintaining the same total capacity (30 MW) and increasing the output by 16% due to the more efficient wind turbine technology and the highest availability of the turbines.
The project has also meant the removal of 3.4 kilometres of access routes, as well as platforms and transformer huts (totaling near 24,000 m2 recovered), all of them unnecessary infrastructures in the new wind farm.
Together with improving the surrounding environment, with less visual and noise impact, the passage of migrating birds has been facilitated by increasing the distance between turbines from 45 to 65 metres in a range that varies between 170 m and 300 m, depending on the position. The lower turning speed of the blades also represents a lower risk of collisions.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Location: Tarifa, Cádiz. Spain.
- Capacity: 30 MW.
- Wind turbines: 8 Nordex N100/3000 y 4 AW70/1500
- Tower: steel, 85 and 60 m hub height.
- Start-up: 1st quarter 2019.
- Owner: ACCIONA.
KEY POINTS
- The replacement of 90 obsolete wind turbines by 12 of modern technology, maintaining the same capacity.
- Major improvement to the surrounding area: shorter rows of turbines, lower surface area occupied, greater distance between wind turbines, less noise, lower visual impact and easier passage for overflying birds.
- Improved efficiency in the oldest wind farm in Cádiz province.
- The project involves the complete dismantling of old wind turbines with lattice towers, the elimination of all foundations, platforms and roadways that are no longer necessary, the withdrawal and management of unusable materials and landscaping the affected area.
- Around 112 GWh of clean energy output a year, equivalent to the power consumption of near 30,000 homes.
- More than 107,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided annually in coal-fired power stations.
Key figures
30
megawatts (MW) capacity
30,000
equivalent households
107,000
tons of CO2 avoided per year
COMMITTED TO PEOPLE
An unforgettable summer camp
Experience
Pioneers of the wind
ACCIONA Energía put the first commercial wind farms into service in Spain almost 30 years ago. The experience obtained since then has made the company one of the most trusted in the sector.