| Whitelee Wind Farm | |
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Whitelee wind farm with the Isle of Arran in the background |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Location | near Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | May 2009 |
| Owner(s) | Scottish Power |
| Turbine information | |
| Turbines | 140 |
| Manufacturer(s) | Siemens Wind Power |
| Model(s) | Siemens SWT-2.3 |
| Hub height | 65m |
| Rotor diameter | 90m |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 322 MW |
| Website www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk |
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Whitelee Wind Farm is the largest wind farm in Europe, with 140 Siemens wind turbines and a total capacity of 322 megawatts (MW).[1] Whitelee was developed and is operated by ScottishPower Renewables,[2] which is part of the Spanish company Iberdrola.[3] Whitelee Wind Farm has a 75 turbine extension under construction, which will add an additional 217 MW of capacity. Work on this extension is set for completion in 2012.[4]
The Scottish government has a target of generating 31% of Scotland's electricity from renewable energy by 2011 and 50% by 2020. The majority of this is likely to come from wind power.[5]
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Positioned 300 metres (985 feet) above sea level and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) outside Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, the wind farm has over half a million people living within a 30 km radius. This makes Whitelee one of the first large-scale wind farms to be developed close to a centre of population. [5] In May 2009, Whitelee was officially opened to the public by Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister for Scotland. [6] However, Whitelee was generating power long before this with the first phase of the wind farm supplying power to the electricity grid in January 2008.
In May 2009, the Scottish Government granted permission for an extension to the wind farm that will produce up to a further 130 megawatts of power,[7] which would increase the total generating capacity of Whitelee to 452 MW.[8] There is also the potential to increase the generating capacity once again by 140 megawatts. This would give Whitelee the potential to generate almost 600 megawatts of renewable energy.[8]
On 19 March 2010 a blade snapped off a turbine, resulting in temporary suspension of operations until safety checks were completed. Following the accident Keith Anderson, managing director of ScottishPower Renewables, said: "This type of incident is exceptionally rare and highly unusual."[9]
Whitelee has become an eco-tourist attraction aided by an on site visitor centre. The visitor centre is host to an interactive exhibition room, cafe, shop and education hub. It was officially opened to the public in September 2009.[10] The visitor centre also give access to a network of over 90 km of paths for cyclists, ramblers and horse riders.[11] The visitor centre is managed by Glasgow Science Centre and offers activities for education and community groups.[10] There is also a dedicated - free - electric vehicle charging station.
Whitelee Windfarm has a 75 turbine extension under construction. This will add an additional 217 MW of capacity, enough to power the equivalent of over 124,000 homes. Work on this new development commenced in November 2010, with completion set for 2012.[12]
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