Exus Renewables North America has begun renovations on the 139 MW Twin Ridges wind farm in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, as part of a planned $200 million investment in the community.

Wind turbine repowering involves upgrading older wind turbines or entire wind farms with the latest technology to increase their efficiency, capacity and lifetime. This process typically involves replacing outdated components such as turbines, rotor blades and nacelles with more modern, efficient versions. Repowering may also involve upgrading control systems and other infrastructure to increase performance.

The main objectives of repowering are:

• Higher energy yield: Thanks to improved design and efficiency, newer technology generates more electricity from the same wind resource.
• Extending turbine life: By replacing aging components, the operational life of turbines can be extended, making the investment in wind farms more profitable in the long term.
• Reduced maintenance costs: Newer turbines require less maintenance, which can significantly reduce operating costs.
• Greater reliability: Modern turbines are more reliable and less prone to failure.
• Optimized use of existing sites: Repowering allows sites with proven wind resources, existing infrastructure and grid connections to continue to be used. This can be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than developing new sites.

Twin Ridge's repowering efforts, which will replace the nacelles and blades of the existing wind turbines while retaining the towers and foundations, will provide a 30% increase in energy production for the project and the residents of southwestern Pennsylvania.
“As the wind energy industry faces increasingly complex obstacles to growth, including a nearly 3 GW queue of renewable energy projects seeking to connect to the grid, the repowering strategy has become a path to achieving clean energy goals,” said Jim Spencer, CEO of Exus Renewables North America. “Thanks to these upgrades, the Twin Ridges project will generate clean, reliable, renewable energy – and millions in community investment – for the region for decades to come.”

Exus Renewables will invest approximately $200 million in the project and create 150 unionized construction jobs. The company expects to pump over $7.35 million into the local economy through sourcing materials and services from local suppliers and expects to invest over $100 million in the community through tax and landowner payments over the 30-year life of the project. Vestas American Wind Technology supplied American-made nacelles, hubs, blades and tower adapters for the project.

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Filed under: News, Projects, Repowering