| GE Energy's 2.5xl Wind Turbine makes Italian debut
2 October 2008
GE Energy's latest wind turbine technology has been selected to support
the expansion of Wind Farm Serre in southern Italy.
The project will help Italy move a step closer to meeting its goal of
becoming one of the leading producers of wind energy in Europe.
GE is supplying 12 of its 2.5xl wind turbines for the project, which is
expected to be completed by June of 2009. The wind farm's total rated
capacity is 30 MW with an annual estimated generation of about 74 GWh, or
enough electricity to meet the annual requirements of 25 000 households.
As part of its renewable energy directive, in 2001 the European Commission
set a very ambitious target for Italy: at least 25 per cent of the country's
gross electricity consumption should come from renewable sources by 2010. At
the time, the availability of financial incentives was uncertain, but the
subsequent introduction of a green certificate system and other measures to
support renewable energy has created more stability in the market.
Located near the town of Girifalco in Catanzaro Province, Calabria Region,
Wind Farm Serre supports the continued growth of the Italian wind industry,
and marks a new level of cooperation between a project developer and the
local municipality. Under an agreement with the utility Brulli Energia
through its affiliate Parco Eolico Girifalco, the Municipality of Girifalco
will receive 50 per cent of the wind farm's gross profits—the first
arrangement of its type in Italy.
"Wind Farm Serre is the latest example of how Italy is embracing the
challenge of meeting its renewable energy targets," said Victor Abate, vice
president-renewables for GE Energy. "The project represents significant
environmental benefits for the region, allowing the production of
electricity with no emission of harmful substances."
According to calculations by Brulli Energia, a project of this size could
reduce emissions by an estimated 90 000 tonnes of CO2, per year, 300 tonnes
of SO2 per year and 260 tonnes of NOx per year.
Although Wind Farm Sere will be the debut of GE's 2.5xl wind turbines in
Italy, nearly one gigawatt of this technology has been committed for
projects worldwide.
With a rotor diameter of 100 meters, the 2.5xl is GE's largest wind turbine
available for onshore applications and is designed to meet the immediate
requirements of the European Union, where the lack of available land
constrains the size of projects
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