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Horns Rev

Horns Rev 1
Horns Rev is located in North Sea
Horns Rev
Location of Horns Rev 1 in North Sea
Country Denmark
Location Horns Rev, East North Sea
Coordinates 55°31′47″N 7°54′22″E / 55.52972°N 7.90611°E / 55.52972; 7.90611Coordinates: 55°31′47″N 7°54′22″E / 55.52972°N 7.90611°E / 55.52972; 7.90611
Status Operational
Commission date 2002
Owner(s) Vattenfall (60%)
DONG Energy (40%)
Operator(s) Vattenfall
Wind farm
Type Offshore
Max. water depth 6–14 m (20–46 ft)
Distance from shore 14–20 km (9–12 mi)
Hub height 70 m (230 ft)
Rotor diameter 80 m (262 ft)
Rated wind speed 9.7 m/s (32 ft/s)
Power generation
Units operational 80
Make and model Vestas Wind Systems: V80-2.0
Nameplate capacity 160 MW
Annual gross output 600 GW·h
Website
www.hornsrev.dk

Horns Rev (also known as Horns Reef) is a shallow area (glacial and sea deposits of sand) in the eastern North Sea, about 15 km / 10 miles off the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvands Huk.

The reef contains the first large scale offshore wind farm in the world, Horns Rev 1 (160 MW from 2002), and is four times larger than the previous largest offshore wind farm in the world, the Middelgrunden at 40MW.

At Horns Rev the Danish Energy company Elsam (now DONG Energy) built the first offshore wind farm in the North Sea. A total of 80 Vestas V80-2.0 MW units, capable of producing 160 MW, were installed by the Danish offshore wind farms services provider A2SEA in 2002 with the last turbine coming into operation on 11 December 2002. It receives a guaranteed price of 0.453 DKK/kWh for the first 42,000 hours, paid by electricity consumers. Since 2005, the wind farm has been owned and operated by Vattenfall. It cost DKK2bn. A radar has shown details of the wind patterns, improving local short-term forecasting.

Turbines are laid out as an oblique rectangle of 5 km x 3.8 km (8 horizontal and 10 vertical rows). The distance between turbines is 560 m in both directions.

The main method of transport to the first wind park is an adapted Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter when winds are less than 19 m/s. Hoisting the workers to and from a small platform on each turbine allows access to the park regardless of sea conditions which would otherwise prevent sailing in the area for a large part of the year.

Vattenfall can change a gearbox in a day, and the farm has an availability of 96-97%. Two turbines are burnt out, and are uneconomic to replace with less than 10 years left.

In April 2012, most of the Danish Folketing (parliament) agreed to send out tenders in 2013 for a 400 MW wind farm at Horns Rev called Horns Rev 3, and a 600 MW at Kriegers Flak in the Baltic Sea, both likely receiving 90 øre/kWh for the first 50,000 hours. This is expected to raise wind power in Denmark above the current 39% of annual electricity production, which includes the 400 MW Anholt Offshore Wind Farm. The Danish Energy Agency expects construction candidates for Horns Rev 3 to have experience with installing and operating a large offshore wind farm. Some of the area is an old minefield from World War Two. Four bidders were qualified for the tender.


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