ENERCON opens Sales office on Canary Islands

Starting January 2013, customers will be able to contact ENERCON Sales International directly at their new office on Gran Canaria.

The new premises are sufficiently large to accommodate 6 employees. Eventually this location will be home base for staff from ENERCON Project Management who will be supervising the islands’ wind projects.

“The office in Las Palmas will bring us closer to the regional customers and allow us to provide them with even better service,” says Raoul Macia, ENERCON’s new island agent at the office opening on Wednesday 5 December in Las Palmas.

For ENERCON, the Canary Islands are one of the more important regions in Spain. The first E-40 wind turbines were already installed on the islands approximately 15 years ago.

And now the first repowering wind energy project has just recently been completed and several other projects are either underway or in the planning stages.

Amongst the current wind power projects are Juan Adalid  wind farm (2 x E-48/800 kW wind turbines) and Fuencaliente (3 x E-44/900 kW) on La Palma, as well as Carretera de Arinaga on the east coast of Gran Canaria (1 x E-70/2.3 MW). So far, the E-70 is the largest and most powerful wind turbine on the island.

The Canary Islands have also set an ambitious target in terms of renewable energies. By the year 2015, the islands intend to be able to obtain 30 percent of their electricity from renewable sources out of which the major portion is to be wind energy – the cheapest form of energy for the Canary Islands.

The “Plan Energético de Canarias” projected target for wind energy is 1,025 MW. Roughly 140 MW have
already been installed on the islands. The share of conventional energy generators, mainly expensive diesel generators, is approximately 2.4 GW. “ENERCON welcomes this optimistic target,” says Thomas
Barkmann, ENERCON regional representative for Spain, Italy and Portugal.

“We are well-prepared to provide the Canary Islands with all the support they need for developing wind energy.”

ENERCON has the best prerequisites. “Our turbine technology is highly sophisticated and is especially suitable for weak island networks,” says Raul Macias. “Another significant factor is the wind turbines’ efficiency.

Even with a small rotor diameter, they generate maximum power. This allows us to minimize the distance – a very important aspect on an island where space is limited. Finally, ENERCON’s highly reliable technology and the machines’ outstanding availability track record are further vital points when it comes to high wind phases in the summer months.”

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