Wind power in South Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wind power in South Australia is a growing industry with 388MW of grid-connected wind farms installed at the end of 2006. South Australia is well suited to wind farms and more wind power is generated in South Australia than any other Australian state or territory.
Contents |
[edit] Wattle Point Wind Farm (91MW)
Wattle Point Wind Farm is near Edithburgh on the coast of South Australia. When it was officially opened in June 2005 it was Australia's largest wind farm at 91 megawatts. The installation consists of 55 wind turbines and was built at a cost of 165 million Australian dollars.
[edit] Lake Bonney Stage 1 (80.5MW)
Lake Bonney Stage 1 was opened in 2004 and has a capacity of 80.5MW. It consists of 46 Vestas 1.75MW wind turbines.
[edit] Mount Millar Wind Farm (70MW)
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 Mt 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.[1] The Mt Millar Wind Farm connects to ElectraNet’s existing transmission network at Yadnarie Substation, via a new 33km 132kV overhead transmission line and substation.[2] The $130 million project was developed by Tarong Energy Corporation Ltd. [3]
[edit] Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm (66MW)
Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm is located at Port Lincoln, South Australia. It has 33 wind turbines, with a combined generating capacity of 66MW of electricity. It comprises 33 turbines of 2 MW each. Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm was commissioned in June 2005.
[edit] Canunda Wind Farm (48MW)
Canunda Wind Farm is a $92.5 million, 48MW wind power project located on grazing land approximately 16 kilometres south of Millicent in South Australia.[4] The wind farm is made up of 23 Vestas 2.0MW wind turbines, together with an underground electrical cable network, access tracks, crane hardstandings, wind monitoring masts and a 33kV double-circuit distribution line. Each turbine consists of a 67 metre high tower and 40 metre long blades, and so are 107 metres in height to the tip of the blade. These wind turbines rotate at speeds between 9 rpm and 19 rpm, depending on the wind speed.[5] The Canunda Wind Farm was opened by the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, on the 31st of March 2005.
[edit] Starfish Hill Wind Farm (34.5MW)
Starfish Hill Wind Farm is near Cape Jervis, South Australia. It comprises 23 turbines of 1.5 MW each, with 8 turbines on Starfish Hill and 15 on the nearby Salt Creek Hill, with a combined generating capacity of 34.5 MW of electricity. Starfish Hill Wind Farm was commissioned in September 2003.
[edit] Future prospects
A further 254 MW of generating capacity (Hallett Wind Farm, 95MW, and Lake Bonney Stage 2,159MW) is under construction, and construction of another 90 MW (Snowtown Wind Farm) is due to begin in April 2007.
[edit] See also
- List of active power stations in South Australia
- Renewable energy commercialization in Australia
- Wind power in Australia
