WIND ENERGY UNTAPPED VINE OF JOB CREATION

The wind energy industry comprises various
subsectors, each with its own degree of job creation potential, Cape Town-based
wind farm developer G7 Renewable Energies said.

“The operation and maintenance (O&M) of wind
farms are small aspects of the potential jobs that the wind industry needs.
O&M not only requires turbine technicians but also security, environmental
monitoring, inspections, road maintenance and administrative operations,
besides others,” says G7 Renewable Energies MD Kilian Hagemann.

He notes that, combined, O&M is one of the
subsectors that does not depend on a steady pipeline of new projects.

Hagemann highlights three additional subsectors
that contribute to job creation in the wind industry. Firstly, greenfield
projects entail the developmental phase of a wind farm and require people for
site identification, land acquisition, permitting, town planning, wind
measurement campaigns, engineering and contracting.

“Individuals would be employed by project
developers, such as G7 Renewable Energies, and various consultants, especially
regarding environmental-impact assessments, which is particularly job-intensive,
owing to the sheer volume of studies that have to be performed.”

Secondly, the construction of a wind farm is quite
labour-intensive, as many employees are required on site for wind farms with a
typical capacity of 100 MW to 140 MW.

“This, coupled with the considerable supply chains
in delivery, catering and accommodation, makes it plain to see how construction
could easily create a substantial number of jobs,” Hagemann states.

Thirdly, the local manufacturing of wind turbine
components offers further job creation. With all the foundations and most of
the steel and concrete towers are already manufactured locally, companies would
be willing to further invest in factories to localise additional components,
provided that government can provide a stable wind pipeline in the Integrated
Resource Plan, he adds.

“While some might lament the temporary nature of
these jobs, they will be permanent if government ensures there is a continuous
stream of new projects each year.”

One of the greatest myths surrounding wind energy
is that it is intermittent and therefore unreliable, he says. A typical South
African wind farm consists of about 40 to 60 turbines spread over a large area
– while one turbine might not contribute any power to the grid, others will.

South Africa being a large landmass creates a lot
of climate diversity, which guarantees that there is always wind somewhere in
the country, states Hagemann, adding that periods of no wind power production
at individual sites can be predicted.

Variations in wind energy are much smoother when
there are hundreds or thousands of units spread across the entire country –
rather than a few large power stations – which makes it easier for the systems
operator to predict and manage changes in supply within the overall system,
Hagemann explains.

Wind power is a well-suited power solution for
South Africa, even when compared with Denmark, in which it originated. “South
Africa has exceptional wind resources because, compared with Denmark, we have a
population density that is three times lower. Therefore, more land is available
for cost-effective wind power generation to provide electricity for the same
number of people,” he explains.

In South Africa, existing wind farms are placed
between 600 km and 800 km apart in different climate zones, resulting in the
fleet of wind farms always generating some percentage of its installed
capacity.

“We have plenty of wind, plenty of space and a favourable weather diversity, so wind power is definitely a viable solution for South Africa. Of course, wind would be only one component of a much bigger power system,” he concludes.http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/wind-energy-untapped-vine-of-job-creation-2019-10-04