Project development comprises the entire process for the creation of a wind farm. From the first idea for the project to its realisation and the commissioning of the turbines, wpd guides the project through all its phases - at its own risk and using a holistic approach. Because wpd combines all the technical departments required to successfully implement a project, under one roof.
Every project begins with an idea and a series of questions. We get to the bottom of the question, which areas are basically suitable for a wind energy project, on the basis of the following criteria:
The result of the location evaluation is a statement as to whether a wind farm is fundamentally conceivable from a technical planning perspective and in terms of planning regulations.
Two central requirements must be met for the planning and realisation of a wind farm project:
As the ideas and desires of the landowners are as individual as the projects, our project developers draw up a tailored concept together with the owners.
Suitable areas for wind energy are designated in Germany via regional planning and municipal construction planning. If the local authority shows interest, our technical department will provide extensive support in the construction planning process to create or refine area usage and development plans.
As part of the permission process, an extensive review and evaluation of the possible impact on fauna and flora will be conducted. As a basis for this investigation, we will obtain reports and analyses of protected species from independent experts.
Our Nature Conservation Department will support this planning step by commissioning the reports, liaising with the experts on an ongoing basis and conducting a final evaluation of the reports.
Having clarified the fundamentals with respect to the wind conditions when evaluating the location, wpd now conducts an exact determination of the potential of the wind and the energy yield obtainable. This is often achieved on the basis of wind measurements at the location itself set up for this very purpose. If there are existing turbines in the vicinity, there will be a chance to estimate the potential on the basis of the revenues which these turbines are already generating. In the later course of the project, the external wind reports will form the basis for the finance and the choice of turbines.
After securing the land, investigating the wind conditions and nature conservation requirements as well as creating the planning foundations, technical project management will optimise the location plans based on the insights gained. The result of this planning step is a refined plan which serves as the starting point for the permission process.
If after reviewing or preparing the planning fundamentals, it is clear that the project can be realised, implementation planning then begins with subsequent support for all permission processes.
Some of this material – such as the site plans, in particular – will be produced in-house by the CAD department, other parts of it will be contributed by externally commissioned experts and by the manufacturer. The application process requires intensive management incl. technical and legal support.
All the planning steps will be examined from a nature conservation perspective.
For connection to the grid, wpd will firstly determine the relevant electrotechnical parameters of every turbine and will then contact the particular grid operator. There follows a technical and financial analysis of various grid connection alternatives. In order to ensure smooth interaction between wind farm, wind farm operator and grid operator in the future, the communications connections for the project are now planned and prepared.
wpd GmbH’s finance department will draw up business concepts and work with prestigious banks which have a high level of expertise in the field of renewable energies. The aim is to guarantee solid finance and as lucrative a structure as possible for every single wind energy project for buyers or for in-house operation. For example, this includes profitability calculations and liquidity planning; in short, it means supporting the financing of the wind farm throughout the entire finance phase. wpd will normally provide the equity and secure loans from the banks.
wpd will plan and complete procurement of the turbines in close consultation with the developers responsible for the federal states and the project. The focus is on the long-term reliability and cost-effectiveness of the turbine. For that reason, wpd relies solely on mature technology provided by reputable manufacturers.
In making the selection, it is essential to clarify the following issues:
wpd will take on the project management for the entire construction of the wind farm and coordinate the construction work with all those involved.
In wpd’s view, the location-specific development of compensation and replacement measures is a significant building block for the success of a project – both for the requirements relevant for the permission process and for the local acceptance of projects. wpd has maintained its own landscape planning department for many years in order to guarantee compensation measures “from a single source”. As a result we are able to guarantee comprehensive and at the same time sustainable planning from project development to final approval.
Our landscape planners generally support the projects over a period of five to six years: From the first nature conservation assessment of the potential area, through the commissioning of reports all the way to the landscape planning contributions to the permission process and the planning and execution of compensation measures.
During further operation, all pending actions of compensation and replacement measures will be executed by wpd windmanager.
