Long Yuan’s Dufferin Wind Farm is the latest renewables project to progress in Ontario, where renewables-friendly legislation, the Green Energy Act, has prompted a slew of investment.
GE will supply 31 of its 1.6-100 wind turbines and 18 of its 2.75-103 wind turbines for the project, located in Ontario’s Melanchthon County. The turbines will be shipped to the project site in 2013, with commercial operation expected in 2014.
“The Dufferin Wind Farm marks our first global wind project outside of China,” said Wu Hao, president of Long Yuan Canada. “With rich wind power resources and strong supporting policies for its wind industry, Canada has created an excellent investment and operational environment for wind farms.”
Ontario’s Green Energy Act, passed in 2009, introduced generous feed-in tariff rates for clean energy development and Ontario now accounts for around a third of Canada’s total wind energy development.
Long Yuan’s move to source GE’s turbines reflects a clause in the Act which requires renewables developers to source 50% of the content for each project locally.
The order will also serve as the 1.6MW model’s debut in Ontario. With a 100-metre rotor diameter, the 1.6-100 wind turbine features a 47% increase in swept area, which results in a 19% increase in annual energy production at 7.5 m/s, compared to the previous 1.6-82.5 model, GE said.
The other model on order, the 2.75-103 turbine, is the newest member of GE’s 2.5MW class of wind turbines. Designed for low wind speed sites, the new turbine features electrical system uprates and GE’s 50.2 blade design which the company said offers a 9% annual energy production increase over the previous 2.5-100 model.
“Both of these wind turbines demonstrate our continuing commitment to innovation, with new efficiency and productivity features that lead to improved project economics for our customers,” said Vic Abate, vice president of renewable energy for GE. “As the competition grows across the global wind industry, the most cost effective projects with the best technology will win.”
