S. AFRICA’S WIND MAP

Wind map opens way for clean energy
Tony Carnie, January 7, 2009 (IOL)

“The winds of change are starting to spin faster for the country's fledgling clean energy industry, with work about to start on the first comprehensive wind resources map of the South African coastline…one of the main obstacles to the growth of this technology is the lack of information about the most suitable sites for wind turbines.

”The four-year wind atlas research project, partly sponsored by the Danish government, will plot wind speeds and frequencies along the 3 000km coastline.

”Work is due to begin later this month and the first draft map is expected by early 2010…

”…Eskom confirmed plans to begin construction of a 100MW wind-energy farm at Koekenaap in the Western Cape later this year…The Koekenaap project and the existing wind farm in Darling will generate little more than 0.3 percent of Eskom's present capacity of 40 000MW of electricity.

”However, energy analysts suggest that the Koekenaap project could give the South African wind-power industry a significant boost - particularly if the successful supplier erects a domestic assembly line for wind turbines in South Africa…

”The wind atlas project will be conducted jointly by the University of Cape Town, the Royal Danish National Wind Resource Institute, the South African National Energy Research Institute and the Department of Minerals and Energy…”