Windy Hill Wind Farm, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Windy Hill Wind Farm is a wind power
station near Ravenshoe
on the Atherton Tableland
s, Queensland
, Australia
. Windy Hill has 20 wind turbines with a generating capacity of 12 MW of electricity
, providing enough power for about 3,500 homes. The cost of the project was A$20 million. It was the first wind farm to be constructed in Queensland and remains the state's largest.
The power station was commissioned in 2000 and was initially operated by the Stanwell Corporation
. However, as of December 2007, Windy Hill was sold to Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund as part of Queensland Government's ClimateSmart 2050 strategy. A new substation was built to allow the wind farms power to connect to the existing 66 kV transmission line.
E40. They can rotate at speeds between 14 rpm to 38 rpm. Power from the turbines is carried by underground cable to the electricity grid.
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 near Ravenshoe
Ravenshoe, Queensland
Ravenshoe is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is located south west of the regional centre, Cairns. At the 2006 census, Ravenshoe had a population of 910....
on the Atherton Tableland
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
s, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 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...
. Windy Hill has 20 wind turbines with a generating capacity of 12 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...
, providing enough power for about 3,500 homes. The cost of the project was A$20 million. It was the first wind farm to be constructed in Queensland and remains the state's largest.
The power station was commissioned in 2000 and was initially operated by the Stanwell Corporation
Stanwell Corporation
Stanwell Corporation is an electricity generation company in Australia. It is fully owned by the Queensland Government, and has a portfolio of generating sites using thermal coal, wind, and hydroelectric power in Queensland....
. However, as of December 2007, Windy Hill was sold to Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund as part of Queensland Government's ClimateSmart 2050 strategy. A new substation was built to allow the wind farms power to connect to the existing 66 kV transmission line.
Wind turbines
The construction contractor for the wind farm was Powercorp, based in Darwin. The wind turbines are located on private land which continues to be used as a dairy farm. Each tower is 44 metres high. The turbines used at the facility are EnerconEnercon
Enercon GmbH, based in Aurich, Germany, is the fourth-largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world and has been the market leader in Germany since the mid-nineties. Enercon has production facilities in Germany , Sweden, Brazil, India, Canada, Turkey and Portugal...
E40. They can rotate at speeds between 14 rpm to 38 rpm. Power from the turbines is carried by underground cable to the electricity grid.