Tonga's first wind turbine stands in Nakolo [1]
Monday, May 20, 2013 - 17:40. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Tonga first 11kW wind turbine is ready to be commissioned for operation in June after its construction was completed on 16 May 2013 at Nakolo in Tongatapu.
Setitaia Chen, the Wind Turbine Project Manager, said the turbine will be in a position to generate power once the wind speed reaches 3.5 meters per second. It is expected that the turbine can reach a capacity of up to 11kW when the wind speed reaches a constant 9.5m/s or more.
He said at maximum capacity the wind farm will generate 27,000 kW hrs of electricity, which is enough power to power 23 homes annually.
"There was a mutual feeing of absolute pride and joy felt throughout the project team including Gaia-Wind support crew once the turbine was up, last bolt torqued and the cables to the control of the wind turbine connected and switched on", he said.
Chen said the construction took three days and was carried out by Tonga Power with engineering support from Craig Jones and Jim Cairns of Gaia-Wind company, who will provide training in the new technology for Tonga Power staff.
Experience
The Tonga Power Ltd. funded project is aimed to provide its staff with experience in wind generation in Tonga to ensure power can be generated constantly and there is enough wind resource to make a larger wind farm in the future.
The new technology, which harnesses the energy of the wind by converting it into useable electricity, could provide another source of clean and renewable energy for Tonga.
The wind turbine is 18.4m high and weighs just over 4,000kg, while its 13-meters long turbine blade weighs around 200kg.
The wind turbine was manufactured in the United Kingdom, designed by Gaia-Wind, known for small wind turbine design in Denmark.
A dedication ceremony to mark the start of the construction work was held on May 9, at the site. No date has been set yet as to when the project will be commissioned next month.