O&M overview
In accordance with Ecuadorian electric sector laws, a corporation (Sociedad Anónima as per Ecuadorian Law) was established to operate the San Cristobal Wind Project. This corporation is referred to as Eólica San Cristobal S.A. (EOLICSA). The Commercial Trust is EOLISCA’s primary shareholder, along with the national utility, Elecgalapagos. In time, all shares of EOLICSA will be transferred to Elecgalapagos.
The project’s current operations manager resides on San Cristobal and is responsible for on-site operations and technical hands-on training. In order to maintain a flat and economical organizational structure and ensure effective technical monitoring, a strategic O&M contract was signed with MADE for a two-year period. Under this contract, MADE provides a full-time representative on San Cristobal to assist with O&M of the wind project’s hybrid system. Additionally, through secure Internet links to the wind project’s control system, MADE experts in Spain are able to monitor or operate the project’s equipment and obtain data for maintenance and troubleshooting activities. EOLICSA also intends to reach agreement with Elecgalapagos for O&M and repair support of the turbines.
Instead of manually operating and dispatching the existing diesel generators, the staff controls them via computers, from the new hybrid control system. That system can run in automatic mode, dispatching wind turbines and diesel power according to power demand on the one hand and the availability of wind energy on the other.
A successful first year
The San Cristobal Wind Power Project started its commercial operation on October 1, 2007. Some detailed setup actions were conducted in the control system in order to properly coordinate the wind farm’s operation with the existing diesel units for automatic operation mode.
Generally, actual wind conditions during the operation period have been 30% lower than historical and forecasted values, so the power generated has been below expected values. According to the Ecuadorian National Meteorological Institute (INAMHI), similar lower wind conditions prevailed on the Ecuadorian mainland and across much of South America. Normal conditions are expected to return by the end of 2008.
During the first 12 months the project has been on-line, the wind turbines have operated properly, without significant issues. Only minor corrective maintenance was required. Programmed bimonthly preventive maintenance activities were conducted as scheduled. Routine annual maintenance will be conducted in December 2008.
The wind farm’s availability has been 94%, which has required only a single diesel engine to operate. For the first full year of operation, the amount of wind energy was 30.8% of the total energy delivered. But there was wide variation: April was 6.2% while September was 53.5%. Total wind energy delivered during the operation period was 2,543 MWh, equivalent to 2,034 tons of CO2 emissions avoided.
During the wind project’s first year of operation, wind generated roughly 30% of the total power generated on the island. In contrast, under normal wind conditions, wind energy is projected to contribute approximately 50% annually. During the seasonal high-wind period, which is October through December, the turbines are expected to generate 70% to 80% of the island’s electrical demand. Total wind power delivered during the operation period was 2,543 MW, equivalent to 2,034 tons of CO2 emissions avoided.
The project management team has taken special care to follow all recommendations of the environmental management plan approved along with the environmental license, especially the program to protect the endangered petrels. Ongoing bird monitoring at the site shows that no birds have been negatively affected by the wind project. In fact, early indications are that higher numbers of young birds are hatching successfully (Figure 4).
4. This is for the birds. In order to protect the indigenous endangered petrels, the project team took measures to minimize the project's impact on the birds, such as controlling adverse invasive species and predators and conducting long-term monitoring of the birds' well-being. Courtesy: American Electric Power
Energy invoices under the power purchase agreement have been regularly paid by the single client, Elecgalapagos. Despite lower-than-expected generation due to wind conditions, the payments cover the project’s operating budget. The rate that end users will pay is regulated by the national electricity council and will not be affected by the start-up of this plant.
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