Nicaragua
30,000 kilowatt hours of electricity are provided by the Vestas V27 annually to the La Salle Polytechnic Institute in Léon in Nicaragua. In 2004, the wind turbine started operation. An on-site team of engineers services and maintains the turbine. Windkraft Simonsfeld supplies advice from the distance, trains engineers from Nicaragua in Austria and assists in obtaining spare parts.
The wind turbine was financed and installed within the scope of a cooperation of Windkraft Simonsfeld with the Provincial Government of Upper Austria and the Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After a few years of operating, the turbine was adapted in Germany for the use in Nicaragua, shipped and then installed on site. Ever since then, the turbine has been providing energy to the Polytechnic Institute. The network-coupled wind turbine generates revenue from selling electricity which is used to assist in operating the school. Over 900 school children attend this school at the moment where the topic of renewable energy sources has become an increasing issue. The Polytechnic Institute is an important impetus for Nicaragua’s sustainable development – not only in matters of energy.
In the meantime, Windkraft has continued to move ahead in Nicaragua. A project with an installed capacity of 40 MW is to be extended by 11 wind turbines. The energy production of the turbines already in use correspond to a demand of 320,000 households.