Jädraås Wind park
One of the largest in northern Europe
The quest for renewable energy has led to more and larger wind parks around the world. In 2019, wind power accounted for about 12 per cent of Swedish electricity generation and the proportion is expected to increase. A great deal of research and development have been invested in making wind turbines more efficient.
The Jädraås wind park is situated in both the Sandviken and Ockelbo municipalities. It opened in the spring of 2013 as one of Scandinavia’s largest land-based wind parks with 66 turbines. Each turbine is just over 175 meters tall. The wind park was placed in Jädraås because of the altitude and the good wind conditions. If you walk up to the top of Kungsberget, you get a fantastic view of the park.
According to the British company The Renewable Infrastructure Group (TRIG) the majority owner of Jädraås wind park, the 66 turbines are estimated to produce 572 gigawatt hours per year, which equates to household electricity for 114 000 homes.
In addition to contributing to our need for renewable energy, the wind power development brings job opportunities, investments and new competence to the region. People living in the surrounding areas may also receive “rural compensation” to help developing the area and attract more people to live there.
How does wind power work?
The wind turbines automatically turn towards the wind, which means that they work well regardless of wind direction. When the wind pushes the turbine blades, they drive a rotor that is attached to a generator in the turbine. A gearbox between the rotor and the generator increases the speed. The generator then converts the power to electricity. The electricity produced in the park is distributed to the power grid. Part of the electricity is also used to produce hydrogen that you can fuel your car with at the hydrogen refueling station in Sandviken.
You might think that extreme winds are better for the energy production, but when the wind blows harder than 25 meters per second, the turbines are switched off. The best effect is produced during moderate winds of around 12–14 meters per second, but the turbines start to generate electricity at 4 meters per second.
Hydrogen as energy storage for many
In large parts of the world, the grid has limitations, especially when it comes to electricity from renewables, such as wind and sun. Some parts of the world lack grids entirely. Storage is hence critical. This would allow for energy supply for large parts of the world’s population, independently of grids. Use solar cells or wind turbines, store the electricity and use it when you need it, without transportations or expensive grid investments. Hydrogen is a very efficient storage media. For us in Sweden, stored electricity allows for backup power in hospitals, industries and for transportation.
When wise people from all over the world in industry, academia and the public sector interact exciting things happen. Sandviken is such a place in the field of fossil free and climate neutral energy.
Sandviken PurePOWER is an open communication concept administered by Sandvikens Kommun. Here, people that want to contribute to making Sweden one of the world’s first fossil free countries meet. Sandviken is the place where it all happens. Right now.
