A WIND AND STORAGE PROJECT IN GOUVY

Gouvy – A project for the territory’s future – Wind farm and storage

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The project developed by WattElse will consist of 9 wind turbines with a power capacity ranging from 4.8 to 6.5 MW and a maximum height of 210m. To address the intermittency of wind technology, electricity storage solutions for the energy produced will also be studied as part of this project.

This project is located close to an economic activity area, a railway line, and an operating wind park.

KEY FIGURES

Inhabitants

of the municipality

8.500

The municipality of Gouvy has a population of just under 8,500. Following an energy audit, the municipality has been developing improvement projects for several years, focusing notably on the energy performance of its public buildings. These initiatives include the installation of photovoltaic panels, window frame replacements, roof insulation, and boiler upgrades.

# Wind turbines

and capacity

9 wind turbines (4.5 to 6.5 MW)

Each wind turbine has a total height ranging from 180 m to 210 m, with a rotor diameter of approximately 120 to 155 m. The power capacity of each turbine is between 4.2 and 6 MW, for a total maximum capacity of 54 MW.

CO2 emissions

and electricity supply

150 GWh per year

The estimated maximum production of the 9 wind turbines is 150 GWh per year, which is equivalent to the average annual consumption of 45,000 Walloon households (based on a consumption of 3,500 kWh/year). Furthermore, these 9 turbines will offset nearly 48,000 tonnes of CO2 per year (based on CWaPE data compared to a reference CCGT power plant), representing the equivalent of the emissions from nearly 35,000 cars.

THE PARTNERS

Environmental impact assessment firm, accredited by the Walloon Region

Based in Wallonia, Sertius has already been responsible for drafting over 200 environmental impact assessments in Wallonia.

Project Manager for
the Gouvy’s project

Active in the development of renewable energy production projects, WattElse is currently working on 500 MW of renewable wind, solar, biomass, and storage projects in Belgium and France. WattElse also provides support for energy strategy missions for both the public and private sectors (Industries and SMEs).

 As a citizen cooperative, Ferréole is a partner in the project in Gouvy.

Ferréole is a citizen energy cooperative founded in 2012 by 50 citizens from the Ferrières region, south of the province of Liège.

As of May 2024, Ferréole has 850 members.

Our vision of sustainable development

The continuous increase in renewable energy production

| Source : 2022 – L’Énergie en Wallonie

Wallonia’s power generation mix continues to diversify. Compared to 2021, the key highlights are as follows:

    • An increase of over 10% in the number of production facilities: mainly for solar photovoltaics, wind power, and biomass cogeneration;
    • An increase of just under 2% in electrical capacity, with the total reaching over 9,600 MW;
    • A decrease of over 12% in electricity production: a 22% drop in nuclear and a 36% drop in hydroelectric power;
    • A decrease of over 14% in the primary energy used to produce electricity: mainly linked to the decline in nuclear power;
    • Having first appeared in 2021, grid-connected battery storage facilities are showing strong growth, as is pumped-storage production.

Net renewable electricity production in 2023 is estimated at 6,222 GWh, representing 22% of the total net electricity production:

    • Renewable energy is energy produced from a source that, unlike fossil fuels, regenerates at least as fast as it is consumed. The depletion of fossil resources (oil, gas, coal), the pursuit of greater energy independence, and the fight against greenhouse gas emissions increasingly necessitate the use of renewable energy sources (RES).
    • Findings show that net renewable electricity production, which reached 6,222 GWh in 2023 (+16% vs. 2022, a 2.3-fold increase since 2010), represents 22% of total net electricity production. This is driven by biomass as a whole (21%), hydropower (6.3%, compared to 68% in 2000), the rise of wind power (49.2%, production has quadrupled since 2010), and photovoltaics (26.8%, production has increased 20-fold since 2010).
    • In 2023, renewable electrical capacity (installed capacity) reached 3,561 MWe (+15% vs. 2022) and has increased 3.7-fold since 2010 (and 12-fold since 2005, when it was 301 MWe). Note the surge in solar photovoltaics, up 26% compared to 2022 (a 22-fold increase since 2010), and wind power (+4% compared to 2022 and tripled since 2010).

The necessity of addressing the intermittency of renewable production through:

    • Storage solutions;
    • The deployment of market tools and incentives to enable proper and flexible electricity demand management;
    • Proper production management that meets the balancing needs of the power grid.

Our approach and our commitment

  • WattElse is present at every stage of the project and pays special attention to local and regional questions and concerns;
  • Project Development which adresses environmental, tecnical and local aspects;
  • Opening up the possibility for citizens to invest in the project.