Blayney Wind Farm, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
The Blayney wind farm is a wind power
station at Lake Carcoar, south of Blayney
, New South Wales
, Australia
. Blayney has fifteen wind turbines, with a total nameplate capacity of 9.9 MW of electricity
.
18 million. The Minister for Energy, Kim Yeadon
, opened the wind farm in October, 2000. The wind farm will avoid the emission of 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide
over the 20 year life of the project, compared to the equivalent electricity generation from coal.
At the time of construction in 2000, Blayney was the largest wind farm in Australia, but has since been exceeded by several other Australian wind farms, and is fairly small by modern world standards as wind farm sizes grew rapidly through the 2000s. The wind turbines are Vestas
V47-660 kW models, with 45 metres (147.6 ft) hub height and 47 metres (154.2 ft) rotor diameter. The wind farm stands above Lake Carcoar and the Carcoar dam, a popular recreational area. A public viewing area and interpretive centre is open to visitors.
The wind farm is on two properties whose families have grazed livestock for many years, and royalty payments to the landowners supplement their incomes. Livestock continue to graze the land up to the turbine tower bases. Pacific Power International conducted an environmental impact study before construction, to minimise impacts on human activities and wildlife.
The wind farm's output feeds the grid, and creates renewable energy credits which Eraring Energy
sells to its Green Power subscribers.
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
station at Lake Carcoar, south of Blayney
Blayney, New South Wales
Blayney is a farming town and administrative centre with a population of 2,745 in 2006, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Blayney has fifteen wind turbines, with a total nameplate capacity of 9.9 MW of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
Technical information
Pacific Power International developed the wind farm, and Consolidated Power Projects Australia was the construction contractor. Project cost was A$Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
18 million. The Minister for Energy, Kim Yeadon
Kim Yeadon
Kimberley Maxwell Yeadon, MP was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.Yeadon was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, but was brought up in Western Sydney...
, opened the wind farm in October, 2000. The wind farm will avoid the emission of 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
over the 20 year life of the project, compared to the equivalent electricity generation from coal.
At the time of construction in 2000, Blayney was the largest wind farm in Australia, but has since been exceeded by several other Australian wind farms, and is fairly small by modern world standards as wind farm sizes grew rapidly through the 2000s. The wind turbines are 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...
V47-660 kW models, with 45 metres (147.6 ft) hub height and 47 metres (154.2 ft) rotor diameter. The wind farm stands above Lake Carcoar and the Carcoar dam, a popular recreational area. A public viewing area and interpretive centre is open to visitors.
The wind farm is on two properties whose families have grazed livestock for many years, and royalty payments to the landowners supplement their incomes. Livestock continue to graze the land up to the turbine tower bases. Pacific Power International conducted an environmental impact study before construction, to minimise impacts on human activities and wildlife.
The wind farm's output feeds the grid, and creates renewable energy credits which Eraring Energy
Eraring Energy
Eraring Energy is an electricity generation company in Australia. It is fully owned by the Government of New South Wales, and has a portfolio of generating sites using thermal coal, wind, and hydroelectric power....
sells to its Green Power subscribers.
See also
- List of wind farms in Australia
- Wind power in AustraliaWind power in AustraliaWind power in Australia is a proven and reliable technology that can be and is readily deployed. As of October 2010, there were 52 wind farms in Australia, most of which had turbines of from 1.5 to 3 megawatts...
External links
- Eraring EnergyEraring EnergyEraring Energy is an electricity generation company in Australia. It is fully owned by the Government of New South Wales, and has a portfolio of generating sites using thermal coal, wind, and hydroelectric power....
page on Blayney Wind Farm