Saint Aubin, France
Rural power for a major European economy
Saint Aubin is just one of hundreds of small wind farms which together make an important contribution to French power supply.
The wind farm at Saint Aubin, in the Meuse department of northern France, shows how small rural wind farms can help make a substantial contribution to a developed economy’s power supply.
Completed last year, the ten Nordex wind turbines are located close to the village of Saint-Aubin-sur-Aire, a rural area of mainly arable agriculture.
Like other parts of France, the Meuse department – in the north-east region of Lorraine - has seen a steady increase in the number of wind farms developed over the past few years in its relatively flat and windy countryside.
Enough wind-powered electricity is now generated in Meuse to meet more than the needs of every household in the department. By 2011, on the basis of projects already agreed, the proportion is expected to reach 160% of household demand, the largest of any department in the country.
The success of wind energy in Lorraine is reflected across the whole of France. From a virtual standing start at the turn of the millennium, the total wind generating capacity had reached more than 3,400 MW by the end of 2008.
Following the binding targets laid down by the European Union, which obliges France to source 23% of its total energy demand from renewable sources, the French government is aiming for 25,000 MW of wind power to be operating by 2020. This would make a contribution of 10% towards the electricity demand of Europe’s third largest economy.
Did you know
- The Saint Aubin wind farm is part of France’s plan for 25 GW of wind power by 2020. »
- The French wind energy industry already employs 7,000 people nationally and is steadily expanding »
- France’s wind farms saved 1.65 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2008 and avoid toxic waste from nuclear power production »
FACTS: Saint Aubin Wind Farm & France
Size: The Saint Aubin wind farm comprises 10 turbines, each with a capacity of 2.3 Megawatts (MW), manufactured by Nordex
Total capacity: 23 MW
Electricity production: 41 Gigawatt hours (GWh) per annum
Climate: The wind farm saves about 34,000 tons of CO2 each year
Opening: The wind farm was completed in 2008
France has the fourth largest capacity of wind power in Europe, a position encouraged by the government’s support programme for renewable energy.
Current wind energy capacity: 3,404 MW (end 2008)
National target: 25,000 MW by 2025, including 6,000 MW offshore.
Global Wind Energy Council, Rue d'Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 400 1029, Fax: +32 2 546 1944, Email: info@gwec.net