Wind Power Plant

North Dakota wind power set for big expansion

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 09:11:00 +0000

North Dakota's wind energy capacity will likely grow by more than a third in 2012, driven by renewable energy standards and the uncertain future of a federal incentive.

The state's operating wind farms have the capacity to generate 1,378 megawatts of electricity. Between projects that are under development now and some that are likely to go forward soon, the state could add almost 500 additional megawatts, according to Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer.

"That would mean that 25 percent of the nameplate capacity of electricity is generated by wind," he said. "If you look at North Dakota's growth, the speed of that growth is really pretty remarkable."

Cramer cites five projects that are under construction or that he expects to be soon started and completed by the end of 2012. Among them are expansions of the Bison Wind developments by Minnesota Power in Oliver and Morton counties, the expansion of the Oliver Wind developments, also in Oliver County, and a 150-megawatt project in Rollette and Towner counties.

"I fully expect that 150-megawatt project to be built," he said.

Next year could be a busy one for the wind industry across the country as developers work to complete projects before a key incentive is scheduled to expire. The federal production tax credit gives companies 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, but it is uncertain whether Congress will renew the subsidy in light of struggles in Washington over spending.

"You can't put odds on it, but certainly, it's a 50-50 proposition," said Josh Gackle, regional policy manager for Minnesota-based advocacy group Wind on the Wires. "It's not really helpful for developers or utilities trying to make long-term plans."

Wind advocates like Gackle want a long-term subsidy for wind power from Washington to avoid a boom-bust cycle in the industry. The American Wind Energy Association has called for a four-year extension of the tax credit, arguing that its expiration in 2004 led to a drop in wind installations of 77 percent.

Gackle said that developers are in the boom part of the cycle while the tax credit is still in effect.

"Developers and utilities are now in the mood to take advantage of what little certainty is left," Gackle said.

According to AWEA, there are 7,354 megawatts of generation capacity under construction across the country, more than any time since 2008.

Eric Norberg called the Dec. 31 deadline to qualify for the tax credit "a hard end date," but as president of a company devoted to renewable energy, he said that market demand for wind will remain an incentive for the industry.

In June, Norberg's company, Allete Clean Energy, was spun off from Allete Inc., the company that owns Minnesota Power. A regulated utility, Minnesota Power is constrained in the investments it can make in new power generation capacity.

"It allows us to get into other forms of energy and in other regions," Norberg said about the new company. The independent clean energy company will pursue wind and even solar projects that will provide renewable energy to Minnesota Power and allow it to meet Minnesota's clean energy mandate.

"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," Norberg said.

Minnesota has required that 25 percent of electrical generation should come from renewable sources by 2025. That standard is likely to drive more wind development if the industry loses the federal subsidy.

"It would be one of the remaining market incentives out there," Gackle said.

Xcel Energy has a stiffer requirement of having 30 percent of its electricity come from renewable sources by 2030. Cramer said that the utility has said that it planned to develop 250 megawatts but has not built anything yet. He expects that utility to eventually install something in North Dakota.

Aside from uncertainty over federal funding for wind, constraints on the industry are still a limited transmission capacity to move electricity to distant markets and the weak demand due to a stagnant economy.

"Until the economy picks up and demand picks up, frankly, there's a glut of energy in market right now," Cramer said.

But despite that, there are still companies positioning themselves to meet the demand for wind energy.

"There are still some people who are out there trying to make some moves," Cramer said.

(source)

NEPRA approves tariff for wind power projects

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 09:09:00 +0000

KARACHI: National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has set upfront tariff for wind farm projects along with cutting down paper work in order to attract investment in energy sector in the country.

This upfront tariff will be applicable to those wind power projects of 1,500 Megawatts (MW) that would be commissioned first within the next three years. Gharo wind corridor in Hyderabad has potential to generate 50,000 MW, according to Alternative Energy Development Board data. Around 30,000 acres of land has been allocated for wind power plants in the area.

NEPRA says Rs 12.61 per kwh upfront tariff for foreign financed wind farm projects and Rs 17.28 per kwh for locally financed wind turbines projects has been submitted to Water and Power Ministry for approval which will finally notifying the tariff for implementation. Upfront tariff was main demand of foreign and local investors as reverse calculation mechanism adopted by NEPRA was quite expensive for investors.

The approved feed in tariff will be applicable for wind farm projects, which will complete their financial closure before December 2012. However, the government has decided not to offer wind risk guarantee to investors, as the required data will take four years for completion.

Initially wind farm investors are planning to invest for 300 MW wind power projects within coastal belt of Balochistan and Sindh, since these are termed ideal. This initiative will also attract investment for manufacturing of wind turbines in the country. ppi

(source)

Gunning Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 09:02:00 +0000

The Gunning Wind Farm project is a proposed wind farm development in the Cullerin Range, north-east of Gunning, in New South Wales. A feasibility study indicates that the potential generating capacity of the site is about 60 MW. The study also indicates that transmission and environmental factors are favourable. The wind farm would be connected to the electricity grid by a 15 kilometre transmission line operated at 132 kV.

Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:32:00 +0000

Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm is a wind power station at Port Lincoln, South Australia. It has 33 wind turbines, with a combined generating capacity of 66 MW of electricity.

Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm was commissioned in June 2005. It comprises 33 turbines of 2 MW each.

Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm
Location	Port Lincoln, South Australia
Owner(s)	Roaring 40s

Power station information
Primary fuel	Wind
Generation units	33

Power generation information
Maximum capacity	66 MW

Mount Millar Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:08:00 +0000

The Mount Millar Wind Farm is situated on an escarpment between the towns of Cowell and Cleve located 100 kilometres southwest of Whyalla, South Australia. The 35 wind turbines are positioned on the elongated Mount Millar site (about 7 kilometres in length) to maximise wind exposure. The wind farm can generate up to 70 megawatts of electricity and will provide enough energy to meet the needs of about 36,000 typical households.

Because wind farms do not emit greenhouse gases in the generation of electricity, wind energy is considered a highly desirable form of renewable energy and assists in the reduction of the State’s reliance on coal and gas fired electricity generation. The Mount Millar Wind Farm connects to ElectraNet’s existing transmission network at Yadnarie Substation, via a new 33 km 132kV overhead transmission line and substation.

The $130 million project was developed by Tarong Energy Corporation Ltd, which has interests in both Queensland and South Australia (including South Australia’s first wind farm, see Starfish Hill Wind Farm). The Mount Millar wind farm was acquired by Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund, and in 2010 onsold to Meridian Energy.

Emu Downs Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The Emu Downs wind farm is a 79.2 MW wind farm in Western Australia. It was a joint development between Stanwell Corporation and Griffin Energy. The site is approximately 200 kilometres north of Perth, near Cervantes. Construction of the $180 million project commenced in November 2005, and the project was commissioned in October 2006.

Emu Downs wind farm consists of 48 Vestas wind turbines (each with 1.65 MW generating capacity), a substation, interconnection to the main 132 kV electricity grid, administration and stores buildings, and a network of access roads. The wind farm is close to the coast, with a good quality wind resource that has increased wind speeds and reliability aligning with periods for peak power demand.

The wind farm provides electricity to run a desalination plant, 260 km (160 miles) to the south. The Kwinana Desalination Plant, located just south of Perth, turns water from the Indian Ocean into nearly 152 million litres (40 million gallons) of drinking water per day.

Emu Downs wind farm is accredited under the Australian Government's Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 and as a Green Power Generator by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority.

Walkaway Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:51:00 +0000

Walkaway wind farm is a wind power station at Walkaway, just south of Geraldton, Western Australia.

The Walkaway wind farm is Western Australia's largest renewable energy project and provides 90 megawatts of power into the grid that supplies Perth and the south west. The wind farm has 54 of the world's largest wind turbines.

Each year the wind farm generates energy that would normally produce 400,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases if generated by fossil fuel based methods. This is the equivalent of removing 80,000 cars from the roads.

Electricity produced by the wind farm is purchased mainly by AGL.

Wattle Point Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:20:00 +0000

Wattle Point Wind Farm is a wind farm near Edithburgh on the coast of South Australia, which has been operating since April 2005. When it was officially opened in June of that year it was Australia's largest wind farm at 91 megawatts. The installation consists of 55 wind turbines covering 17.5 square kilometres (6.8 sq mi)and was built at a cost of 180 million Australian dollars. It is connected to ETSA Utilities electricity transmission system via a 132 kilovolt line.

The location was chosen after identification as having one of mainland Australia's highest average wind speeds. The wind farm was officially opened by South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Southern Hydro Chairman, Dr Keith Turner. The opening was opposed by some of the local Indigenous Australians, the Adjahdura (or Narungga). A descendant of the traditional landowners argued that construction desecrated an ancient burial ground, disturbing skeletons in the construction of turbine number four. Work was halted in late 2004 after the discovery of human remains, artefacts and tools. The Aboriginal Affairs Department, and the developers, separately commissioned archaeological reports resulting in the development allowed to proceed with five towers being repositioned. Both reports concluded that the bones had come from elsewhere on the peninsula, being later reburied at Wattle Point. The region's aboriginal community was divided on construction; Narungga National Aboriginal Corporation supporting development and the Narungga Heritage Committee strongly opposing.

Wattle Point Wind Farm was built and owned by Southern Hydro Pty Limited. Southern Hydro was owned by Meridian Energy of New Zealand until October 2005, when it was bought by the Australian Gas Light Company (AGL). The windfarm was acquired by Alinta in October 2006, as part of an asset merger with AGL, and subsequently by the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group's Energy Infrastructure Trust, for 225 million dollars on 23 April 2007.

Hallett Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:43:00 +0000

The Hallett Wind Farm is the name given to five wind farms near the town of Hallett, South Australia:

Hallett 1 (Brown Hill): completed
Hallett 2 (Hallett Hill): completed
Hallett 3 (Mount Bryan): approved
Hallett 4 (North Brown Hill): under construction
Hallett 5 (Bluff Range): 2010

Considered as one unit, the Hallett Wind Farm was the biggest in Australia in May 2011 (Macarthur Wind Farm, under construction, will be bigger when completed).

Hallett 1

Hallett 1 wind farm, consists of 45 Suzlon S88 turbines each of a rated 2.1 megawatt (MW) for a total of around 95 MW. It is in the Mid-North of South Australia adjacent to an existing 180 MW gas fired peaking power plant. The wind farm construction was carried out by Suzlon Energy Australia Pty. Ltd. This site utilizes an innovative rock anchor solution to support the turbines using only one third of the concrete and reinforcement required in traditional foundations.

Hallett 2

Hallett 2 Wind Farm, also known as Hallett Hill Wind Farm, was completed in late 2009. It consists of 34 Suzlon turbines each 2.1MW, giving an installed capacity is 71.4MW. Up to March 2011 it was averaging a capacity factor of 39%.

Hallett 3

AGL has announced its intention of building the Hallett 3 wind farm.

Local residents are protesting against the construction of this stage due to its proximity to the township of Hallett. The main claims involve noise based on problems experienced by people living in close proximity to turbines in Hallett stages one and two.

Hallett 4

AGL's Hallett 4 Wind Farm, alternatively called North Brown Hill Wind Farm, has 63 turbines with a total installed capacity of 132MW, and cost A$334 million to build. The first power flowed into the south eastern Australian electricity grid in August 2010 and the project was up to full operation in early 2011.

Hallett 5

AGL's Hallett stage 5, also known as Bluff Range Wind Farm will consist of 25 Suzlon turbines each of 2.1MW. It is expected to cost a total of $120 million. Completion is expected in late 2011; on 4th May 2011 three turbines were completed and a number of towers were partly built

Crookwell Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:19:00 +0000

Crookwell Wind Farm, located at Crookwell west of Goulburn, New South Wales, consists of eight 600 kW wind turbines giving a total capacity of 4.8 MW. It was the first grid-connected wind farm in Australia when built by Pacific Power in 1998. It is now owned by Eraring Energy, and the wind farm currently supplies electricity to Country Energy's "GreenPower" customers.

Phase two of the Crookwell Wind Farm, which will have an installed capacity of 92 MW, is under construction as of 2009 and will cost $238 million.

Crookwell Wind Farm
Country	Australia
Locale	Crookwell, New South Wales
Status	Operational
Commission date	1998
Owner(s)	Pacific Power

Turbine information
Turbines	8 X 600 kW
Wind farm information
Type	onshore

Power generation information
Installed capacity	4.8 MW
Maximum capacity	92 MW

Bald Hills Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:43:00 +0000

The Bald Hills Wind Farm is a proposed wind farm located approximately 10 km south east of Tarwin Lower in South Gippsland. The Bald Hills Wind Farm site covers approximately 1750ha of largely cleared cattle and sheep grazing farmland. The turbines will be located in three distinct areas, one to the west and one to the east of Tarwin Lower Waratah Road, and one near the end of Bald Hills Road.

The Bald Hills Wind Farm has received planning approval from the Victorian Government and approval from the Federal Government under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. This followed extensive project feasibility studies and Environmental Effects Statements (EESs). The EESs were assessed by an independent panel.

Bald Hills Wind Farm will comprise 52 turbines of 2 MW capacity each, giving it a total capacity of 104 MW. It is expected to produce 335,100 MWh of electricity per year, based on the long-term average forecast wind data. This is the equivalent of meeting the electricity requirements of over 62,000 homes—over four and a half times the homes in the South Gippsland Shire (based on 2006 census data).

Construction of the wind farm is expected to start in 2011. It is expected that the wind farm will be fully operational by 2013.

Crows Nest Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:18:00 +0000

The proposed Crows Nest Wind Farm, will be located in south-eastern Queensland, 40 kilometres north of Toowoomba. It initially has was to have an installed generating capacity of 124 MW that would produce enough electricity for some 47,000 homes. It is expected that the wind farm will create 460 manufacturing and construction jobs and a further 15 full time maintenance jobs in Crows Nest. The Crows Nest location on the western edge of the Darling Downs, offers some of the best average wind speeds available in Queensland, and the project will provide additional security of electricity supply in this fast growing area.

The project was acquired by AGL Energy in 2009 after purchasing it and another wind farm at Barn Hill in South Australia from Transfield Services. In June 2009, AGL was allowed to increase the number of turbines by 20 units and therefore the output from 124 MW to 200 MW. The cost of the project is now expecting to be A$270 million.

Residents of Crows Nest Shire formed a "No Wind Farm" group which objected to the proposal. The activists contended that turbine blades would cause light flicker as they passed the sun, turbines would cause noise, devalue land, be a detriment to fauna and visual appeal of the area and were contrary to the council's town plan. They also argued the green credentials of wind farms were a myth because large amounts of coal-fired energy was needed to power up generators to full capacity after a drop in wind speed. After drawn-out legal proceedings and mediation between the parties, the objections were progressively dropped.

Crows Nest Wind Farm
Country	Australia
Locale	Toowoomba, Crows Nest, Queensland
Status	Proposed
Owner(s)	AGL Energy

Power station information
Primary fuel	Wind farm
Generation units	40

Power generation information
Maximum capacity	200 MW

Mount Mercer Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:34:00 +0000

The proposed Mount Mercer Wind Farm will be located at Mount Mercer approximately 30 kilometres south of Ballarat in Western Victoria on 2600ha. The wind farm will consist of 64 Enercon E82 wind turbines, giving a total installed capacity of 131 MW. It is expected to generate approximately 395,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity each year which could power approximately 74,000 households and result in a reduction of some 510,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Construction was due to commence in September 2009 under the management of WestWind Energy, however the project changed hands to Meridian Energy in the middle of 2009. Construction was delayed until the end of 2009 or early 2010 with Meridian Energy citing the global financial crisis as the cause of the delay in construction. Construction has been further delayed until mid-year 2011, Meridian Energy cite the reason as re-designing how the Mount Mercer Wind Farm is back hauled to the national grid and thus having to renegotiate easement agreements with local land owners.

A proposed location of the 64 wind turbines has been made available to the public. Local farmers who would have turbines on their land were offered $7000 per turbine per year.

Mount Mercer Wind Farm
Country	Australia
Locale	Victoria
Status	Final Design
Owner(s)	Meridian Energy

Power station information
Primary fuel	Wind
Generation units	64

Power generation information
Maximum capacity	131 MW

Woolnorth Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:38:00 +0000

Woolnorth Wind Farm is a wind power station at Woolnorth (Cape Grim), Tasmania, Australia. It is wholly owned and operated by Roaring 40s and has 62 wind turbines, with a generating capacity of 140 MW of electricity.

The first stage of the power station, with six 1.75 MW turbines, was completed in August 2002. The second stage, adding a further thirty one turbines and 54 MW of generating capacity, was completed in April 2004. Stage Three, the Woolnorth Studland Bay site consisting of twenty-five Vestas V90 3 MW wind turbines, commenced in January 2006 and was completed in May 2007.

Woolnorth Wind Farm
Locale	Woolnorth, Tasmania
Coordinates	40.685°S 144.717°ECoordinates: 40.685°S 144.717°E
Commission date	2002
Owner(s)	Roaring 40s

Power station information
Primary fuel	Wind
Generation units	62

Power generation information
Maximum capacity	140 MW

Lake Bonney Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Lake Bonney Wind Farm, in South Australia, was built in two stages. Stage 1 consisted of 46 turbines each having a rated capacity of 1.75 MW (total 80.5 MW) and was finished in March 2005. Construction of Stage 2 began in November 2006 and was finished around April 2008. Stage 2 consisted of 53 turbines of 3 MW (total 159 MW). The combined capacity of the two stages is 239.5 MW making it the biggest wind farm in Australia at the time of completion.

The Lake Bonney Wind Farm is south of, and contiguous with, Canunda Wind Farm. Both are built along the Woakwine range - a line of stabilised sand dunes that once were coastal. The nearest large town is Millicent.

The owner is Infigen, who purchased the project off Babcock and Brown, Wind Partners, in June 2009.

Snowtown Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:39:00 +0000

The Snowtown wind farm is a located on the Barunga and Hummocks ranges west of Snowtown in the Mid North of South Australia, around 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of the state capital, Adelaide. It is owned by TrustPower.

The first power generated by the wind turbines was received into the public grid in December 2007. The first stage of the wind farm, constructed by Suzlon Energy Australia, was substantially completed by October 2008 and was officially opened on 2 November 2008.

It is expected that when all stages are completed the wind farm will consist of up to 150 turbine,s each having a rated 2.1 megawatts (2,800 hp) capacity.

The location of the Snowtown wind farm, the Barunga Range, is a north-south trending ridge of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Since it is generally treeless, rounded, and lies across the direction of the prevailing westerly winds, it provides an outstanding site for a wind farm.

Waubra Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:18:00 +0000

The Waubra Wind Farm is located 35 km north-west of Ballarat and was completed in July 2009. It consists of 128 wind turbines, with associated substations and an operations centre. Each wind turbine has a capacity of 1.5 megawatts (MW), providing a total installed capacity of 192 MW. Waubra is the third largest wind farm in Australia, after Hallett Wind Farm (298MW) and Lake Bonney Wind Farm (279MW).

The green energy generated by the wind farm each year provides electricity for 143,000 households – more than enough to power Ballarat. The Waubra Wind Farm offsets up to 635,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

Acciona Energy formed a Community Reference Group (CRG) for the construction phase of the Waubra Wind Farm, to provide a regular forum for community input to the project and to facilitate communication between members of the Waubra community and the wind farm project team.

The construction of the Waubra Wind Farm Project received financial assistance as part of the Victorian State Government’s Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET).

In July 2011 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 4 Corners program explored health concerns connected with Australian wind farms in its "Against the Wind" report. The Waubra Wind Farm and the community living around it was featured in the report.

Portland Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:24:00 +0000

The Portland Wind Farm is one of Australia's largest wind farms. Located on the coast of south-western Victoria near the city of Portland, it consists of four separate sites, of which three have been completed. Completion of the entire 195 MW project is expected in 2011, at a capital cost of 330 million Australian dollars.

The Portland Wind Farm project is expected to produce more than 500 GWh annually, enough electricity to power about 125,000 homes each year, and equal to more than 7% of Victoria’s residential electricity demand, or powering a city the size of Geelong. The project is being developed by Pacific Hydro.

Portland Wind Farm
Country	Australia
Locale	Portland
Status	Operational
Commission date	2010

Power station information
Primary fuel	Wind
Generation units	98

Power generation information
Installed capacity	195 MW

Macarthur Wind Power Plant

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 13:56:00 +0000

The Macarthur Wind Power Plant is a proposed wind farm in Victoria, Australia, being developed by a joint venture formed by AGL Energy and Meridian Energy. The project is to be located in Macarthur, Victoria on a 5,500 ha site and it has been permitted to generate up to 420 MW. The wind farm will comprise 140 3 MW Vestas V112 wind turbines. It is expected to be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, generating enough power for 220,000 homes and abating 1.7 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

The Macarthur Wind Power Plant project is estimated to cost A$1 billion and is due for completion in 2013. It will be constructed by Vestas and Leighton Contractors.

Macarthur Wind Farm
Country	Australia
Locale	Victoria
Owner(s)	AGL / Meridian Energy

Power station information
Primary fuel	Wind
Generation units	140

Power generation information
Maximum capacity	420 MW

Coopers Gap Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Coopers Gap Wind Farm is a proposed 500 MW wind power station in the Bilboa and Cooranga North region, approximately 50 km south west of Kingaroy and 65 km north of Dalby in Queensland, Australia.

A 60 m wind monitoring mast was installed in March 2006 in order to accurately measure wind speed and direction in the area.

The location for the Coopers Gap Wind Farm is a hilly area to the west of the Bunya Mountains. The site area lies to the north and south of Niagara Road, starting approximately 3 km from the Bunya Highway, as well as to the west of Jarail Road. The site extends to Crowles Road to the south, Cooranga North-Niagara Road to the west, close to Nords Road and Diamondy Road to the North and close to Bunya Highway to the east.

The area is mostly cleared cattle grazing country and covers approximately 12,000 hectares in total. The project falls within both the South Burnett Regional Council and Dalby Regional Council jurisdictions.

Coopers Gap Wind Farm will have a total generation capacity of up to 500 MW and annually, 1.7 million megawatt hours. The wind farm will consist of up to 252 turbines extending across a series of ridge lines within the proposed site. The wind turbines proposed will be approximately 135 m in height from the tower base to the tip of the blade. The tower will be approximately 80 m high, and the blades approximately 52 metres in length with a rotor diameter of 104 metres. The construction cost of the project were initially to be over $1.2 billion. However the project was revised to include 115 turbines and only cost A$800 million.

The electricity generated from each turbine will be transmitted via underground or above ground cabling to a central cable marshalling point at the on site substation, which will be located next to the 220 kv or 132 kv power lines that run through the site area. The sub station will then connect directly into the grid network on site. It is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 2.2 million tonnes annually.

In April 2011, some local landholders expressed concerns at a community forum related to health effects and the noise of the wind turbines, some of which will be less than a kilometre from homes.

Kent Hills Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:16:00 +0000

Kent Hills Wind Farm is a large wind farm project near Moncton, New Brunswick which was completed on December 31, 2008. The farm is the first in New Brunswick. It is owned and operated by TransAlta and the power is purchased by NB Power for supply to consumers.

The Kent Hills Wind Farm consists of thirty-two 3 megawatt (MW) wind turbines for a total capacity of 96 MW. The project produces 280,000 megawatt hours per year, enough power for 17,000 homes. The turbines used are Vestas V90-3MW model, which have a rotor diameter of 90 metres (295 ft) and sit atop an 80-metre (262 ft) tower.

There are plans to expand the wind farm by an extra 18 turbines at an undetermined date in the future.

St. Leon Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:34:00 +0000

St. Leon Wind Farm is Manitoba's first wind power plant in St. Leon, Manitoba, Canada. A total of 63 wind turbines have been erected over a 93-square kilometre area, capable of delivering 99 megawatts (MW).

Each turbine has three blades made with carbon fiber and balsa wood. Each blade is 41 metres long. The nacelle containing the gearbox and generator is mounted on a tubular steel 80 metre tower. The assembly of blades, hub, gearbox, and generator, in total weighs around 220 tonnes. The blades turn at 14 revolutions per minute when the generator is turning at 1200 RPM; the speed increase makes the generator more compact and the overall system more efficient. Each tower has a 4-metre diameter concrete foundation which extends between 10 and 15 metres below grade. The generators produce AC power at around 600 Volts and 60 Hertz. Each tower has a step-up transformer connecting the turbine by an underground cable to the 35 kV overhead wood pole line collection network. The collection network connects the turbines to a step-up transformer station, where the voltage is increase to 230 kV and connection is made to the Manitoba Hydro transmission network. Manitoba Hydro has a 25 year power purchase agreement with Algonquin Power Income Fund, which owns and operates the wind farm.

The Danish-built turbines are designed to operate on wind speeds between 12.6 and 90 kilometres per hour. In very cold weather, -33 C or lower, the units are shut down. About 90% of the year there is sufficient wind to operate the turbines, although not necessarily at full output. In recent years the project has generated at a 35 to 40% annual capacity factor, due to its favorable site.

The array is dispersed over 9000 hectares (23,000 acres) of farmland on the Pembina Escarpment 150 km south-west of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the rural municipalities of Lorne and Pembina. About five per cent of the area is covered by access roads and foundation sites, leaving the rest available for crops or cattle grazing. Each of the fifty area landowners is paid for the use of the land occupied by a turbine.

The capital cost of the St. Leon Wind Farm project was around CDN $200 million. About $30 million was provided by the federal Wind Power Production Incentive.

Erie Shores Wind Power Plant

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:42:00 +0000

Erie Shores Wind Power Plant is a large wind farm near Port Burwell, Ontario, Canada. The facility stretches approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the west of the town, and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to the southeast.

In 2004, the Erie Shores Wind Power Plant was awarded a generation contract by the Government of Ontario as part of its renewable energy plan. This wind farm was officially opened on April 13, 2006 to the delight of progressive leaders and to the dismay of local residents and bird conservationists. Travellers driving through the wind generators have noticed a decrease in overall bird population and this concerns many editors of local newspapers.

The project comprises 66 GE 1.5 MW Wind Turbines. Each turbine has a blade diameter of 77 metres (253 ft), and is mounted on an 80 metre (260 ft) tubular tower. Erie Shores currently represents approximately 2.2% of Canada’s wind power capacity. Ontario currently has about 1,636 MW of installed windpower capacity, which represents about 6% of Ontario's electricity supply mix. Wind power developments create new income for land owners and tax revenue for communities.

Caribou Wind Park

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Caribou Wind Park is a large wind power plant project located approximately 70 km west of Bathurst, New Brunswick which was completed in November 2009. The farm is the second in New Brunswick. It is owned and operated by GDF Suez and the power is purchased by NB Power for supply to consumers.

The farm consists of thirty-three 3 megawatt (MW) wind turbines for a total capacity of 99 MW. The turbines used are Vestas V90-3MW model, which have a rotor diameter of 90 metres (295 ft) and sit atop an 80-metre (262 ft) tower.

The project's 'phase one' is now completed with a 'phase two' planned at an undetermined date in the future to add more turbines increasing the total output to 200 MW.

Anse-à-Valleau Wind Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Energetic) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:14:00 +0000

The Anse-à-Valleau Wind Farm has been in commercial operation since November 10, 2007. It is located in Gaspé, Quebec and has 67 wind turbines each of 1.5 MW power for a total farm capacity of 100.5 MW.

The turbines were constructed by two Quebec firms, Marmen of Matane and LM Glassfiber of Gaspé.

Total installed power : 105 MW
Yearly estimated production : 262 GW.h (for an equivalent of 2500 hours of full load / year)
Installation : 2007/12
67 turbine(s) GE 1.5sle (puissance de 1500 kW, diamètre de 77 m)
Total power : 105000 kW
Operational
Operator : Cartier Wind Energy