Feasibility of a wind farm at Sandvíkurheiði

Electricity production with wind power has been increasing in the world in the last few years. The first wind turbines were raised at Búrfell, Soutern Iceland in 2012 and a growing number of studies focusing on wind power in Iceland have been released. The goal of this study is to estimate the wind resource, costs, environmental impacts and the possible electricity generation of an Enercon E-44 wind turbine at Sandvíkurheiði in eastern Iceland. Data from a meteorological station owned by The Icelandic Road Administration was used for all calculations and estimations. Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) analyses were made and a short environmental impact assessment was made. A possible wind farm at Sandvíkurheiði was compared to current wind turbines in Iceland and a Norwegian wind farm in order to compare Icelandic conditions to those in Europe. The results indicate that Sandvíkurheiði might be a good location for a wind farm. The average capacity factor for an Enercon E44 wind turbine is estimated to be 41.6% for the whole year which is higher than in most other places. Seasonal variations in the capacity factor are high which is not optimal. It is higher during winter than during summer