Gouda Wind Farm

Gouda Wind Farm is a 138 MW wind power station in Western Cape, South Africa. It is operated by ACCIONA Energía (54.9%); Royal bafokeng Holdings (25.1%); Soul City (10%); Gouda Wind Energy Community Trust (10%). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 117,434 homes (estimated). It ranks #37 of 122 South Africa power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2015, it is around 11 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 4.7% of South Africa's electricity; the national grid averages 699 gCO₂/kWh (17.8% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061299.

Capacity vs largest wind plants in South Africa

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by ACCIONA Energía (54.9%); Royal bafokeng Holdings (25.1%); Soul City (10%); Gouda Wind Energy Community Trust (10%).

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 33.3°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 68% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 24/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #5 largest wind power plant of 24 in South Africa by capacity.

South Africa has 24 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 2,031 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Swartland Solar Power Plant · Solar · 5 MW · Western Cape
• SlimSun Swartland Solar Park · Solar · 5 MW · Western Cape
• Hopefield · Wind · 67 MW · Western Cape
• Ankerlig · Oil · 1,327 MW · Western Cape
• Darling Wind Farm · Wind · 5 MW · Western Cape
• Koeberg · Nuclear · 1,800 MW · Western Cape

Location

Coordinates -33.2665, 19.0225 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.