Pouring Concrete Foundations

Normally, wind turbine foundations are poured four feet deep and fifty to eighty feet in diameter. The bulk of the foundation will be backfilled with native soil, and only a sixteen to twenty foot diameter foundation area will be visible.

Building Operations & Management Facilities

Depending on the size of the project, wind farms often build O & M facilities on-site for the project. The typical O & M building is located on purchased land and doesn't interfere with the landowner's property or lease, but this is site-specific.

Road Construction

Road Construction for wind farms can be divided into three main phases:

1. Grading - Preparing the land for construction

2. Drainage - Installing culverts at drainage areas

3. Installing Base Materials - This includes geo-fabric and gravel. The road profile is slightly above natural grade to promote drainage. Shoulders are built to have a maximum 2% side slope for crane travel (land will be reclaimed after construction).

Substation/ Grid Interconnection

Development of substations happen concurrently with the wind farm construction.

Rotor and Nacelle Installation

Once tower construction has been completed, the nacelle (all generating components) is raised into position up and at the top of the tower and bolted into place. Last, the blades and hub (also called the rotor) are carefully attached to the front of the nacelle. The blades and hub anre assembled on the ground and raised into position with the help of large cranes.

Tower Erection & Assembly

Eighty meter towers are composed of four cylindrical steel sections. The number of sections may vary depending on the height of the tower, and type of turbine being installed. Each tower section can vary in weight between thirty five and fifty tons. Special cranes are employed by Wind Developers LLC (over 300 feet in span) are needed to lift the tower sections up and stack them on top of one another to form the tower.

Buried Collector Cable System

An integrated system of buried cables that connect the wind turbines to one another and the transmission lines will be installed. During this phase of construction, a ditch will be dug measuring approximately four feet deep to place the lines in. Once completed, native backfill will be used to return the land to its original condition.

Project Commissioning

The project site is powered and the turbines are commissioned.