A wind farm in Baja California desert, Genesal Energy’s new commitment to clean energy

Baja California is one of the Mexican states with a strong focus on renewable energy, and one of the latest examples is a wind farm located in the desert of Baja California Sur.

This large scale project – more than 100 million dollars’ investment – will also entail a revolution in the infrastructures of the area: 20 kilometres of roads and over 20 kilometres of medium voltage overhead and underground networks will be built.

This project is a turning point. It means a before and an after in the lives of the inhabitants of a region with a great tourism potential and a constant growth that for years has needed a robust electricity grid according to an energy demand that does not stop increasing. The future wind farm will respond to this requirement in a clean and sustainable way, avoiding the collapse of the current system.

Genesal Energy participated in this project through the design, manufacture and supply of four generator sets, two of 640 kVA soundproof type, one of 462 kVA open type and one of 125 kVA soundproof type.

Fossil energy sources

Our client needed emergency power for the lifting and switching substations, as well as for the wind farm’s collection network, so the four generator sets were designed as per such requirements.

The wind farm’s commissioning will not only improve the quality of life of Baja California’s people, but will also mean a change in the energy model in the area, as in this state – unlike most of Mexico – power generation comes mainly from fossil sources, which is not usual in other regions.

Besides, this project represents a new challenge for our engineering team, and consolidates the leadership of our subsidiary in Mexico, which is increasingly present in the renewables sector. At Genesal Energy we have recently formalized our commitment to the environment with the achievement of four of the SDS included in the 2030 Agenda.

Over the last years, at Genesal Energy we have reinforced our focus on clean energy, a market in expansion in which we believe. In the case of Mexico, both its privileged climate and the Administration’s support makes the country an ideal place for the development of the renewable energy market. Two representative case studies are ‘San Matías’ (Baja California) and ‘Tres Mesas’ (Tamaulipas) wind farms, along with other international projects we carried out in countries such as Oman, Dominican Republic, Peru and Spain.

Features

All the units have been designed according to the CFE W4700-10 standards, and include the below features:

• RAL 1021 yellow paint, in compliance with CFE norms.
• DNP 3.0. communication protocol.
• Third party inspection of the FAT procedure.
• Spare parts according to CFE specifications.
• Base frame integrated fuel tank allowing 12h autonomy at full load.
• Winding heaters.
• 24V start-up.
• Space heaters and thermostat in panel.
• Single mode optical fiber.
• Dual port fiber switch.
• Special adaptation of switches for remote opening and closing.