Mynydd y Gwair
Encyclopedia
Mynydd y Gwair (The Hay Mountain) is a mountain in Swansea
, Wales
. Mynydd y Gwair is 373m/1224 ft high.http://www.go4awalk.com/mountains/engwalesmtns.php?mtn=12477
on Mynydd Y Gwair. The proposed development is for 19 wind turbine
s over a site of 473 hectares, each with a maximum height of 127m and an output of 2.5MW. The total average output of the development is estimated to be 38-57MW, enough to supply 28,000 homes equivalent to 29% of the homes in the Swansea unitary authority area.
The site is at the western end of the Pontardawe Strategic Search Areas (SSAs), one of seven SSAs in Wales identified by the Welsh Assembly Government
in 2005 as recommended sites for large scale wind generation. The SSA locations were identified based primarily on technical and environmental grounds following investigations by Arup
. WAG set a target of 100MW of wind generating capacity capacity to be installed in the Pontardawe SSA by 2010, this development would therefore provide approximately half the target capacity in the area.
The proposed development has attracted opposition including a group called 'Save Our Common Mountain Environment' (SOCME). A protest walk in August 2004 attracted significant support including that of prominent environmentalist Professor David Bellamy
.
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Mynydd y Gwair is 373m/1224 ft high.http://www.go4awalk.com/mountains/engwalesmtns.php?mtn=12477
Proposed Wind Farm Development
On 2 September 2008 Npower renewables submitted a planning application for the development of a windfarmWindFarm
WindFarm is wind energy software used to analyse, design, optimise and visualise wind farms. It calculates and optimises the energy yield subject to natural, planning and engineering constraints. WindFarm has the wind modelling software MS-Micro integrated. MS-Micro is based on the same...
on Mynydd Y Gwair. The proposed development is for 19 wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s over a site of 473 hectares, each with a maximum height of 127m and an output of 2.5MW. The total average output of the development is estimated to be 38-57MW, enough to supply 28,000 homes equivalent to 29% of the homes in the Swansea unitary authority area.
The site is at the western end of the Pontardawe Strategic Search Areas (SSAs), one of seven SSAs in Wales identified by the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
in 2005 as recommended sites for large scale wind generation. The SSA locations were identified based primarily on technical and environmental grounds following investigations by Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
. WAG set a target of 100MW of wind generating capacity capacity to be installed in the Pontardawe SSA by 2010, this development would therefore provide approximately half the target capacity in the area.
The proposed development has attracted opposition including a group called 'Save Our Common Mountain Environment' (SOCME). A protest walk in August 2004 attracted significant support including that of prominent environmentalist Professor David Bellamy
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
.