Beinn an Tuirc windfarm
Encyclopedia
Beinn an Tuirc wind farm is a wind farm
in Argyll
, Scotland
.
The site has 46 turbines with a total generating capacity of 30.36 MW, and is operated by Scottish Power
. It was commissioned in 2001 and started operation in 2002. It cost £
21 million to build. The turbines were built by Danish company Vestas
, which specializes in their manufacture. It is 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of Campbeltown
on the slopes of the Beinn an Tuirc, the highest hill on the Kintyre
peninsula.
Scottish Power was awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise
in 2006 for constructing Beinn an Tuirc and Black Law wind farms with a "collaborative and responsible approach". This referred to the company's practice of taking into account environmental concerns and the wishes of the local community in the wind farms' construction.
One of the V47 turbines suffered a catastrophic failure in November 2007 when a brake problem led to the tower being bent in two. This was the first incident of an operational turbine tower collapsing in the UK. The farm was closed as a precaution, but soon reopened.
In an unusual move, Scottish Power has offered local rangers £30 for every mountain hare
they hand over. The idea is to re-introduce this species to an area near to the wind farm in an attempt to lure golden eagle
s away from the turbines. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
said, "Scottish Power's approach in creating this habitat that takes into account local biodiversity is to be welcomed."
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The site has 46 turbines with a total generating capacity of 30.36 MW, and is operated by Scottish Power
Scottish Power
ScottishPower Ltd. is a vertically integrated energy company with its headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but in 2006 it became a subsidiary of the Spanish utility Iberdrola...
. It was commissioned in 2001 and started operation in 2002. It cost £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
21 million to build. The turbines were built by Danish company Vestas
Vestas
Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines. It is the largest in the world, but due to very rapid growth of its competitors, its market share decreased from 28% in 2007 to 12.5% in 2009...
, which specializes in their manufacture. It is 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of Campbeltown
Campbeltown
Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...
on the slopes of the Beinn an Tuirc, the highest hill on the Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
peninsula.
Scottish Power was awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise
Queen's Awards for Enterprise
The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation or sustainable development. They are the highest official UK awards for British businesses...
in 2006 for constructing Beinn an Tuirc and Black Law wind farms with a "collaborative and responsible approach". This referred to the company's practice of taking into account environmental concerns and the wishes of the local community in the wind farms' construction.
One of the V47 turbines suffered a catastrophic failure in November 2007 when a brake problem led to the tower being bent in two. This was the first incident of an operational turbine tower collapsing in the UK. The farm was closed as a precaution, but soon reopened.
In an unusual move, Scottish Power has offered local rangers £30 for every mountain hare
Mountain Hare
The Mountain Hare , also known as Blue Hare, Tundra Hare, Variable Hare, White Hare, Alpine Hare and Irish Hare, is a hare, which is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. It is distributed from Fennoscandia to eastern Siberia; in addition there are isolated populations in the Alps,...
they hand over. The idea is to re-introduce this species to an area near to the wind farm in an attempt to lure golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s away from the turbines. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
said, "Scottish Power's approach in creating this habitat that takes into account local biodiversity is to be welcomed."