Between the 2003 and 2009 the French company Aerowatt installed 116 wind turbines (GEV MP & GEV 26/220). As the wind parks are located in a cyclonic area, the turbines can be tilted down in the event of a cyclonic alert. At full capacity, the wind parks generate 31 MW, its estimated production is 40 GWh per year. The generated electricity is transferred to the New Caledonian grid and replaces grid electricity which is produced by fossil-fuel power plants at 80 percent. The average annual emission reduction amounts to 36,330 t CO2 equivalents. The Pacific islands region faces increasing environmental and socio-economic pressure which is exacerbated by global climate change and climate variability.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), small island developing states are recognized as being particularly vulnerable to climate change. Unfortunately, there are only few Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) activities in the Pacific region. Therefore, the development of this first Gold Standard Verified Emission Reduction (VER) project activity has to be seen as a strong positive signal for future emission reduction projects in this region.
How wind energy contributes to climate actionAs the name suggests, wind turbines use the power of the wind to generate energy. During this process, a generator located inside the wind turbine converts kinetic energy into electrical energy. As energy is still mainly generated from fossil fuels in many areas around the world, clean wind energy can replace some of this fossil, high-emission energy and verifiably save CO2 emissions.
In most cases, the sustainably generated electricity from the wind power projects is fed into a regional power grid, which diversifies the power supply and improves energy security in regions that are frequently affected by power shortages and outages. A project often creates increased job opportunities for the local population and the area can be used for additional activities, such as agriculture. Wind power projects make an important contribution to a clean energy supply worldwide and contribute to sustainable development with respect to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Wind energy projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
