Østerild Wind Turbine Test Field
Østerild Wind Turbine Test Field is a facility managed by the DTU Risø Campus of the Technical University of Denmark for testing of offshore wind turbines with a pinnacle height up to near Thisted-Østerild, Denmark.
History
The area was plagued by flying sand from about 1450, and a plantation was started from 1889 to keep the sand in check.The international IEC 61400 standard specifies how to design and validate wind turbines to gain commercial value. A suitable area for testing wind turbines must have good wind, a specific surface roughness, a clear area around the site, and not be in an EU Special Protection Area. After investigating 17 areas and drawing criticism, the Folketing decided in June 2010 to establish a wind turbine test center at Østerild. It was inaugurated in 2012, and is popular among tourists. A visitor center opened in 2017.
New ponds and open areas have improved conditions for bats. The first sea eagles came to the area in 2015.
Description
There are 7 test stands, and each test stand has its own meteorological mast due west. Some stands were not yet put in use in 2015. In 2016, the wind turbine industry requested more stands to fulfill future test requirements. The turbines are not permanent, but spend some months in test at the site before being replaced by the next turbines.At the northern and the southern end of the test field, there are two 250 metre tall guyed masts equipped with lamps to warn aircraft.
The masts are situated at and at.
List of sites
Test sites as of December 2015 :| Test stand | Type | Manufacturer | Construction year | Hub height | Rotor diameter | Total height | Power | Coordinates | References and remarks |
| 1 | Alstom Wind 151-6 | EDF Énergies Nouvelles | 104 m | 151 m | 6 MW | To be erected in Spring 2016 | |||
| 2 | Vestas V164-8.0 | Vestas Wind Systems | 2014 | 140 m | 164 m | 8.0 MW | Tallest wind turbine in the world. 22 June 2017 Vestas announced it would produce a 4MW windmill, called V150, tall | ||
| 3 | Vestas V126-3.3 | Vestas Wind Systems | 116 m | 126 m | 3.3 MW | ||||
| 4 | Vestas V110-2.0 | Vestas Wind Systems | 98 m | 110 m | 2 MW | ||||
| 5 | EN-120/3.0 | Envision Energy | 90 m | 120 m | 3 MW | ||||
| 6 | SWT 8.0-154 | Siemens Wind Power | 120 m | 154 m | 8.0 MW | ||||
| 7 | SWT 7.0-154 | Siemens Wind Power | m | 154 m | 7.0 MW |