Gibara wind farms: to generate electricity the country needs
- Written by Germán Veloz Placencia / Granma
- Published in Holguin
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Engineer José Luis Piferrer Martínez has been linked to wind farms in this locality since the investment phase in 2007. He talks so fervently about them, that those who hear him might think he is blinded by passion and by his condition of head of the Operation and Maintenance Group of both electricity generating facilities. But he speaks with facts.
"Cumulatively, Gibara 1 and Gibara 2, commissioned in 2008 and 2010, respectively, have generated a total of 215 GW hour, that is, 215,852 MW hour."
He goes on to detail that, during the operation of both facilities, the country has stopped consuming more than 53,300 tons of diesel, i.e. fossil fuels. At the same time, more than 161,081 tons of carbon dioxide were no emitted into the atmosphere.
In July, in the midst of the problems presented by the thermoelectric units, they worked around the clock for several days. In the area there were many hours of favorable winds to generate power, synchronized with the National Electric System, he explains.
"Studies and reality have shown that the wind usually starts to rise around ten o'clock in the morning and subsides around 11 o'clock at night in this area. This means that this is the time when the most wind is generated. This is beneficial because they contribute during the peak times of the day and night".
Raidel Velázquez is also one of the 14 members of the work group and, in his transition to head of the Operators Brigade, he worked as a maintenance mechanic. He says that from the early hours of the morning until nine o'clock in the morning, the wind had a speed between 11 and eight meters per second.
A glance at the computer screens indicates that at the moment he is talking to Granma newspapers, both wind farms are contributing two MW because the wind has noticeably decreased its speed. His permanent wish is that there are gusts of 12 meters per second or a little more often, so the wind machines generate at their highest power.
Regarding the software installed, he explains that they offer the possibility of detecting faults, some of which can be corrected from his workstation. Otherwise, maintenance personnel intervene.
Regarding complex situations, both Piferrer and Velázquez point out the cyclones hurricanes they have faced without leaving their work stations. One of the worst experiences occurred in 2008, when the sea penetrations caused by Ike affected parts of Gibara 1.
"When building Gibara 2, we took the experiences into account, that is why the bases of the towers and the systems house are at higher altitudes," says José Luis Piferrer.
FACING THE BAD TIMES
Fernando Hechavarría Pupo, director of the base business unit of renewable sources of energy attached to the Empresa Eléctrica de Holguín, recognizes the capacity of the workers of the parks to maintain the electric generation in the midst of material adversities that prevent to make the most of the 9.6 MW of installed power.
"Today nine of the 12 machines are working. In Gibara 1, which uses Spanish technology, there are machines out of service because, among other difficulties, there are problems in the blade systems, which are attributed to wear and tear due to the passage of time and fatigue caused by the impact of hurricanes."
In Gibara 2, of Chinese manufacture, a generator went out of service and was sent to a company in charge of repairing it in Havana.
"Sometimes, we lack the funds to buy spare parts, which makes the process cumbersome. However, the U.S. financial, economic and commercial blockade causes the most damage because in the case we need to buy the spare part, we must buy it through third countries which makes the purchase cost up to three times more than its original price.”
Their efforts to keep everything working properly can be seen in Gibara 2 were metallic cables like the ones used to tighten the power poles were used to replace the original cables to move the tips of the blades when they began to break. The personnel of the maintenance brigade came up with the idea and partnered up with the Empresa Mecánica Holguín and Talleres Soluciones Mecánicas, of the provincial branch of the Ministry of Construction in the territory, to manufacture the required iron terminals the former and to fix them, the latter.
Unforeseen situations occur, such as the breakdown of the pipe through which the cable runs along the blade. It was then necessary to put it in a horizontal position so the mechanic Carlos Pérez, who is also known for well-earned reputation as a "one-man band," could crawl inside of the turbine and put an end to the problem. The limited working space and the high temperature caused by the sun on the structure of the shovel made it an uncomfortable operation.
Another successful solution was the replacement of the brake pads of the fast axle of the Chinese machines with spare pieces manufactured in our country, says Piferrer.
Some lightnings have cracked the resin envelope of the blades. The first repair caused by this was undertaken by a foreign company. But once they saw how they did it, they agreed they would not entrust such a job to a foreign firm again. The next step was to enter into a contract with the Gibara Shipyard, where there is ample experience in the use of fiberglass. From that moment on, their specialists diagnose the damage as soon as lightning strikes a shovel and undertake the restoration work.
When the wind farm using Spanish technology started operations, they noticed the electronic system components of the towers were badly damaged by the saltpeter, especially the sensors. The answer, simple but very functional, was to cut off the corrosive particles by installing a filter in the windows that is periodically washed.
In this way, solutions, regardless of their complexity, have prevented premature breakage or saved large sums of money, while avoiding the delays that usually accompany the import process.
UNCEASING COMMITMENT
The power installed in the province of Holguin in renewable energy sources (wind, sun and water) does not reach 20 MW, and it is undoubtedly a very low level according to the potential in this region.
Fernando Hechavarría explains that the project for a third wind farm is still underway in the Gibara area. Likewise, taking into account wind studies on the Holguin coast, in the municipality of Banes, in an area that extends to Cape Lucrecia, there are possibilities of installing more.
"In order to access the place where the wind farm of Rio Seco, with a power of 50MW, will be located, the construction of the highway the facility has begun. The wind farm will be operated by the Empresa Eléctrica Holguín."
Likewise, the development plans contemplate the foreign investment. Those who accept to invest, can project and exploit those parks they invest on and sell the energy they generate to Cuba.
The equation is clear: the change of the energy matrix is not renounced, Cuba will gradually reduce the use of fossil fuels, which are more expensive and pollute the environment, and to ensure the generation of electricity in the most economical way possible.
IN CONTEXT
Reaching 100 % of the generation with renewable energy sources in Cuba is essential to achieve energy sovereignty.
Today, renewable energy only makes up for 5% of the country's energy matrix, a notable delay compared to the forecasts for the policy approved in 2014.
Reaching the desired figure requires at least 11,000 MW installed in photovoltaic solar parks, about 2,000 MW in wind energy and producing close to 800 MW in sugarcane biomass. This does not exclude the energy that can be generated in homes, through the installation of small solar panels and wind turbines.
