Making the Best of Low Winds

2016 had been a measly wind year: the annual wind index showed a 20% below-long-term-average value. The Eocycle EOX M-21 (100kW) at the DEME Group headquarters in Zwijndrecht (Belgium) made the most of it though. With an average wind speed of only 4.5m/s, the turbine had produced over 183MWh since its installation at the end of 2015.

At 98% availability, the EOX M-21 is ready to produce at practically any time of the year. It’s a perfect illustration of Eocycle’s reliability-through-simplicity approach.

To meet the ambitious target of all-renewable energy powering the DEME headquarters, using on-site wind power to complement the PV arrays on the office roofs was the way to go. DEME turned to Eocycle for a distributed wind turbine that could comply with the permitting constraints of the site.

Bird migratory routes and foraging bats along the river Scheldt had to be considered when defining the exact location of the turbine, and an avifauna monitoring campaign using wildlife cameras was set up. Thanks to Eocycle’s Bat Mortality Mitigation system, no bat collisions have been detected.

The Eocycle EOX M-21 at DEME is located only a few hundred meters away from the meeting rooms and very close to the main entrance gate. It’s a constant reminder of the company’s focus on sustainability for DEME coworkers, visitors and passers-by.