June 2023.

Whilst thousands of people across the globe are involved in the harnessing of energy from the wind, for many, wind energy remains a mystery. So, in celebration of Global Wind Day (15 June 2023), Kangnas Wind Farm would like to explain to communities, in and around the Northern Cape, the basics of how electricity is produced from wind turbines. This will also explain why communities that have close-by wind farms still experience load shedding.

HOW WIND TURBINES PRODUCE ELECTRICITY AND WHERE IT GOES TO:

• If the wind blows sufficiently, then wind energy is converted to mechanical energy through the turning turbine blades.
• The turbine blades transfer this mechanical energy via the shaft and gearbox (the large box on top of the turbine) to the electrical generator that turns the mechanical energy into electrical energy.
• This electrical energy is then made grid compatible.
• The grid compatible energy is fed from the Wind Turbines via a network of underground cables across the wind farm to the project substation. The substation forms the connection point between our “local” wind farm grid and Eskom’s national grid.
• Eskom’s grid then “supplies” this energy to its consumers across the province and country.

ABOUT GLOBAL WIND DAY (GWD):

GWD is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June. It is a day for discovering wind, its power and the possibilities it holds to change our world. In more than 80 countries worldwide, wind farms are in operation, generating energy from a clean and renewable source.