Repowering of the Sor-Arfons wind farm
The first wind farm in France to be 100 per cent equipped with fully reconditioned blades
New start for the Sor-Arfons wind farm
After 16 years of loyal service, the 11 wind turbines, worn down by harsh weather conditions, had reached the end of their useful life. The new turbines feature a 10-metre taller mast and 5-metre longer blades.
More recent and better suited to the site, they will capture wind energy more effectively and be better able to resist local weather conditions!
The result: with the same number of wind turbines, production has increased by 20 per cent, without altering the connected capacity or the existing electricity grid.
1 A wind farm with 100 per cent of its blades reconditioned: a first in France!
Located on the windswept ridges of the Montagne Noire, the site enjoys some of the most favourable wind conditions in Occitanie. However, after sixteen years of operation in a harsh weather environment, the wind farm’s mechanical components have naturally worn out.
The new wind turbines are fitted with second-hand blades, a first in France. These V90 models from Vestas will arrive directly from the manufacturer’s factory in Italy, following a reconditioning process lasting around six months.
The blade repair process is similar to what is done to repair aeroplane wings: identification and characterisation of cracks, sanding, and re-coating.
2 Combining green energy production with the circular economy: a pilot project for the wind energy sector
VALOREM has set itself the objective of repurposing the site’s historic structures by identifying local industries that can give them a new lease of life.
– The masts: made of 100% recyclable steel, cut up on site and then removed to be melted down and reused.
– Concrete foundations and reinforcing bars: the concrete is separated from the scrap metal to be 100 per cent reused on site. Once crushed, it is reused to form access roads and platforms. The reinforcing bars, like the steel from the masts, are removed to be melted down and reused.
– The nacelles: one nacelle will be donated to a vocational college to serve as a full-scale teaching aid for students on the BTS Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician course. The others will be sold for use in the maintenance of other wind farms or cut up on site, removed, sorted and recycled.
– The blades: four blades will be used to manufacture specific street furniture (benches, cycle shelters, planters) and other items through a partnership with Néolien, based in Saint-Sauveur, Isère (38). These new items will be used, in particular, at the VALOREM Group’s headquarters in Bègles (France).
The dismantling in pictures
