Two wind farms hit by Hurricane Sandy in Cuba survived the storm and did not sustain any damage, according to the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA).
The affected area, in the Cuban province of Holguin, accommodates two wind farms: the 5.1 MW Gibara I, which consists of six 850 kW wind turbines installed in 2008, and the 4.5 MW Gibara II, which consists of six 750 kW machines installed in 2010. Both wind farms were hit by wind speeds of up to 110 miles per hour during the storm.
At a meeting with WWEA last week, the Cuban government announced that the hurricane caused no damage at either of the wind farms and that the projects are still providing electricity for the local grid.
‘Cuba installed the two wind farms close [to] Gibara in the years 2008 and 2010, being aware that they may be hit by a hurricane," explains Conrado Moreno, a professor at the Cuban Center for Renewable Energy Technologies. "Hence, our experts have taken all necessary provisions to make them hurricane-proof. Hurricane Sandy has now clearly demonstrated that wind farms in Cuba are safe and reliable even under extreme conditions."
