WIND ENERGY IN VENEZUELA: CHARACTERISTICS AND WIND FARMS - GEOGRAPHY - 2026

The wind power in Venezuela begins to develop in Venezuela by 2010, with the approval of the National Energy Plan that promoted the adoption of a National Plan for Wind Energy.

Wind energy consists of the production of energy from the wind and has become in recent years an important source of electricity, in some cases at a lower cost.

To produce wind energy, a mechanism is established so that the wind passes through the blades of a wind turbine. When these move, a low-speed shaft in turn feeds a high-speed shaft.

In this way, a generator is activated and the energy that is produced is conducted to a transformer, to raise the voltage and thus connect to the grid.

For the production of this type of energy, a wind speed of between 7 and 9 meters per second is required. And in the Venezuelan coastal zone this happens during most of the year.

Wind power has numerous benefits; First, a wind turbine produces the same amount of electricity per day as would produce three and a half tons of coal or one ton of oil.

Second, the production of wind energy is non-polluting and lasts infinite, because it comes from a non-exhaustible source, such as the wind.

It is also very environmentally friendly. By avoiding burning large amounts of oil and coal, each wind turbine avoids the emission into the atmosphere of 4,100 kilos of carbon dioxide, 66 kilos of sulfur dioxide and 10 kilos of nitrogen acid per year, the gases that cause the greenhouse effect. and acid rain.

The Venezuelan case

The peninsulas of La Guajira and Paraguaná receive trade winds throughout the year, which blow from the Caribbean Sea in a northeast-southwest direction.

These two peninsulas are the northernmost in South America and make up, together with the Lesser Antilles (Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire), the Pericaribeño Arid Belt.

From these two wind farms, the production of 1000 megawatts was expected in 2015, covering 10% of the domestic energy demand.

Background to the creation of Venezuelan wind farms

In Venezuela, the wind energy production plan was included in order to combat extreme poverty, achieve independence from fossil fuels, protect the environment, save oil as a resource, and promote sustainable development.

In accordance with these arguments, the National Wind Energy Plan was approved in 2008, which sought to produce 72 megawatts through an agreement between PDVSA (Venezuelan oil company) and GALP Energía (Portuguese oil company), with the supply of 76 wind turbines.

Thus, the opening of several wind farms was planned: La Guajira, Paraguaná, Costa de Sucre, Nueva Esparta, Los Roques, La Tortuga, La Orchila, Los Monjes and La Blanquilla. All these places are located in the northwestern area, between the Venezuelan coast and the border with Colombia.

With the economic crisis unleashed in 2010, it was decided to build only two wind farms, which were projected to have the highest production: La Guajira and Paraguaná.

With the approval of the projects, it was expected to generate 2,000 megawatts on land and up to 8,000 megawatts offshore, having a very low impact on the environment and with minimal maintenance costs.

Main wind farms in Venezuela

1- Paraguaná wind farm

The Paraguaná wind farm is located in the vicinity of Santa Cruz de Los Taques, on the Paraguaná peninsula, in the state of Falcón.

It has an area of ​​575 hectares and there the installation of 76 wind turbines was projected for the production of 1.32 megawatts each.

The project is being developed in two phases, for the total production of 100 megawatts through 76 wind turbines.

By 2014, 54 wind turbines had been installed, of which 35 were fully operational.

2- La Guajira wind farm

The La Guajira wind farm has an area of ​​600 hectares and is located in the state of Zulia, 500 kilometers from Maracaibo, on a large desert peninsula that is favorable for this type of industry.

It would consist of 36 wind turbines of 2.1 megawatts each, with a production capacity of 75.6 megawatts of energy, which has been very slowly incorporated into the National Electric System (SEN).

Of the 36 projected generators, 12 have been built. In 2015, after phase 1-A, the government announced that the project was going to be reviewed in its entirety to analyze its continuity. The megawatts announced have not been produced nor have the jobs contemplated been generated.

The area appears to be abandoned and the indigenous communities, who were identified as direct beneficiaries, are still without power.

Future of wind energy in Venezuela

The fulfillment of the goals of the two wind farms has not been achieved; It has not been possible to comply with the number of wind turbines projected in each of the parks.

There are various reports and speculations about the poor performance of the two parks, but there is no official information.

Experts consider that, for Venezuela to enter an industrial dynamic, it is necessary to establish conditions that are common with those of the countries that have achieved success in the production of this type of renewable energy.

Second, they consider that the benefits of wind energy should be trusted more than other sources, such as hydroelectric and thermoelectric, because it is still thought that it is an expensive source and it has not been allowed a greater participation in energy production. at the national level.

Finally, it is believed that it is urgent not only to advance in the two wind farms that show delays and non-fulfillment of goals, but to consider the creation of new ones in other places, such as Margarita Island, to mitigate the overload presented by the submarine cable that connects said island with the national electrical system.

References

1. Bautista S., (2012) A sustainable scenario for Venezuelan power generation sector in 2050 and its costs. Volume 44, May 2012, Pages 331-340.
2. Inhaber H. (2011) Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Volume 15, Issue 6. pp: 2557-2562.
3. Farret F. et al., (2006) Integration of Alternative Sources of Energy. pp: 2-10.
4. Pinilla A. (2008) The power of the wind. Engineering Magazine. University of the Andes. No. 28.
5. Regulski P. et al. (2012) Evaluation of power flow variability on the Paraguaná transmission system due to integration of the first venezuelan wind farm. Power and Energy Society General Meeting, 2012 IEEE.