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windfarm in the California Central Valley ]] WIND CAPACITY INSTALLED AND UNDER CONSTRUCTION BY COUNTRY WIND FARMS IN AUSTRALIA At the end of 2006, Australia had installed electricity generation capacity from wind power of 817 MW1 and nationally wind farms contributed about 1% of total electricity production. In the state of South Australia, this figure was much higher at 9.2% (2005). Australian wind farms produce on average Capacity Factor s of 30-35%, making wind an attractive option in the country. National code for wind farms: A discussion paper Some of the largest wind farms in Australia are: # Wattle Point (SA) - 90.75MW # Alinta/Walkaway (WA) - 90MW # Lake Bonney (stage 1) (SA) - 80.5MW # Cathedral Rocks (SA) - 66MW # Emu Downs Wind Farm, Western Australia (WA) - 80MW WIND FARMS IN BRAZIL Brazil is one of the countries that is expanding its wind power production the fastest http://www.eolica.com.br/index_ing.html The Location of Brazil's Wind Farms: #São Gonçalo do Amarante/CE (10 Turbines) #Prainha de Aquiraz-CE (20 Turbines) #Mucuripe-CE (4 Turbines) # Fernando De Noronha Island -PE 1&2 (2 Turbines) #Olinda-PE 1&2 (2 Turbines) #Morro do Camelinho-MG (4 Turbines) # Palmas -PR (5 Turbines) #Osório-RS (? Turbines) WIND FARMS IN CANADA See also: List Of Wind Farms In Canada farm in Tiverton, Ontario , Canada , includes five Vestas V80s installed in November 2002]] The total capacity of all wind farms in Canada is approximately 1,492 MW as of February 2006 http://www.canwea.ca/production_stats.cfm. Each province and territory contains the following capacity (rounded to one decimal): # Ontario , 415.3 MW, # Alberta , 385.0 MW, # Quebec , 321.8 MW, # Saskatchewan , 171.2 MW, # Manitoba , 104.0 MW, # Nova Scotia , 49.3 MW, # Prince Edward Island , 43.6 MW, # Yukon , 0.8 MW, and then # Newfoundland , 0.4 MW. There are currently no operating wind farms in British Columbia , New Brunswick , Nunavut (territory), or the Northwest Territories . The five largest wind farms in Canada are: # Prince Project - Phase I&II ( Ontario ), 189 MW # Murdochville Project - Phase I&II&III ( Quebec ), 162 MW # Centennial ( SaskPower near Swift Current, Saskatchewan ), 149.4 MW # Erie Shores ( Ontario ), 99 MW # St Leon - Phase 2 ( Manitoba ), 84 MW Government support for wind power continues to increase. The current Wind Power Production Incentive (WPPI)http://www.canren.gc.ca/programs/index.asp?CaId=107 is expected to quadruple its goal of 1,000 MW of wind power to 4,000 MW. There is an additional 2,811 MW planned or under construction. WIND FARMS IN EUROPE .]] , Spain ]] The development of wind farms in Europe enjoys greater public acceptance and creates a larger share of energy. Germany has the biggest wind turbine to be established offshore, and the largest number of wind farms in the world. Its installed capacity was 20,622 MW as of december 2006. The second country in capacity was Spain with 11,615 MW. The third one was Denmark with 3,136 MW. Italy was in the fourth position, with 2,123 MW. http://www.windtech-international.com/content/view/1045/1/ Overall national government policies across Europe are also generally in favour of increasing the use of 918 MW and in the Republic Of Ireland 496 MW. The planned 322 MW wind farm south of Glasgow will be the biggest wind farm in Europe. The €350 million farm is ordered by Scottish Power and the 140 wind turbines are to be delivered by Siemens . On 18th December 2006, the British government gave planning consent for the world's largest offshore wind farm. It is to be built 12 miles off of the Kent coast and will include 341 turbines. Parts of the ' London Array ', as it is called, have already been constructed and are operational. Wind farms in different countries yield different amounts of electricity, because of differences in prevailing wind patterns, siting of the turbines, and the fact that early turbine designs were considerably less efficient and capable of adapting quickly to changes in wind direction and speed. For example, an Oxford University study of the wind over the past 35 years found that UK turbines would have produced 27% of their peak power generating capacity, compared with 20% in Denmark and 15% in Germany.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4436108.stm An important limiting factor of wind power is ''' has moved away from Denmark to the Baltic Sea the next low appears of the coast of Ireland. Therefore, while it is true that the wind is not blowing everywhere all of the time, it will always be blowing somewhere. Such a supergrid would therefore reduce the need for backup capacity. WIND FARMS IN INDIA , Tamil Nadu , India]] At the end of 2007 , Afforestation , and domestic purposes, all scattered over the country. The states of Tamil Nadu , Karnataka and Maharashtra lead in the field of wind energy. WIND FARMS IN JAPAN There is no particular controversy about the sightliness or otherwise of the Wakamatsu Ward windfarm in Kitakyushu , as there is in some other countries. It is far from the scenic areas of Wakamatsu, and on windy reclaimed land. Asahi Shimbun reported on May 18 , 2005 that many utilities have put limits on the amount of wind power they will allow, because of lack of confidence in their ability to deal with the variable output. It should be noted that several European countries are successfully accommodating significantly higher shares of wind energy in to their networks and that the Japanese grid is capable of coping with large conventional power stations disconnecting unexpectedly due to faults; on the other hand, it is true that integrating windpower or unreliable conventional power stations in to island grids is more difficult than into continent-wide inter-connected grids. WIND FARMS IN NEW ZEALAND New Zealand (the Saudi Arabia of wind) is located in the 'roaring 40s' and has an abundant wind energy resource. Genesis Energy built the Hau Nui wind farm in 1996 and is located south east of Martinborough on the coastal road to White Rock. The Brooklyn Wind Turbine was installed on the top of a hill in Brooklyn, Wellington in March 1993 as part of a research project commissioned by the now defunct Electricity Corporation Of New Zealand . Meridian Energy recently applied for, and obtained with conditions, resource consent to build a consignment of wind farms in the rural Makara Hill area west of Wellington . Meridian Energy have finished the Te Apiti Wind Farm on the Ruahine Ranges. It can be seen clearly at Ashurst near Palmerston North . Meridian Energy have started construction of the White Hill wind farm at Mossburn, between Te Anau, Gore and Invercargill in the South Island. Trust Power purchased the Tararua wind farm from Tararua Wind Power Limited. It is on the Tararua Range s behind Palmerston North . WIND FARMS IN SOUTH AFRICA The first commercial wind farm in South Africa is being constructed 13km's outside Darling in the Western Cape on farm Windhoek. The first phase will consist of four 1.3MW turbines supplied by Fuhrlander, Germany. The total power generated estimated at 5.2MW will be put into the national grid at 66kV. It has taken the developer Herman Oelsner 10 years to achieve his dream of being the first privatised wind farm in South Africa. There has been enormous concerns regarding environmetal and avaition some of which still need to be resolved. DWP ( Darling Wind Power ) will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the wind farm under a watchful eye from Germany. Various stake holders from international to Local have invested in the project which could only benefit an already over extended power producer in South Africa namely Eskom. Additionally, Klipheuwel wind farm, the first wind farm in sub-Saharan Africa, comprises three turbines – a Vestas V66 with 1.75 MW output, a Vestas V47 with 660 kW output and a Jeumont J48 with 750 kW output, giving a total output of almost 3.2 MW. WIND FARMS IN THE UNITED STATES The United States is the third country in the world in terms of wind power installed capacity, after on the Oregon-Washington line, with a peak capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity (although the three California wind farms mentioned are larger, they are actually collections of dozens of individual wind farms). The California wind farms have many different owners and turbine types and have been constructed, retrofitted and occasionally dismantled since they were first installed in late 1982. As Of 2005 all three of these areas are seeing renewed growth. Primarily, the old, small wind turbines are being replaced with much larger, more efficient wind turbines. Some of the workhorses of the past were only 65 Kilowatt s (kW) in capacity size or even smaller, though some were several hundred kW. Today, the smallest utility-scale wind turbines are about 700 kW, with a few models approaching 5,000 kW (5 MW). Secondarily, non-functional turbines are also being returned to service. in Solano County , CA]] Northern California is one of the earliest large wind farms. It is composed of large numbers of relatively small wind turbines of various types that were installed after the 1970s Energy Crisis in response to favorable tax policies for investors. However, the types of incentives the government uses have led to an unhealthy cycle of booms and busts for the wind energy industry. The problems were not so much with the wind turbines themselves. Only a few of the turbine designs were fatally flawed and almost all of the others were able to be rehabilitated into excellent machines. Still, these numerous small turbines are being gradually replaced with much larger and more cost-effective units. An advantage of the Altamont Pass Wind Farm is that under hot inland ( Central Valley ) conditions, a Thermal Low is developed that brings in cool coastal marine air, driving the turbines at a time of maximum electricity demand. However, this phenomenon is not always reliable and with an inland high pressure condition the entire region can be both hot and windless. At this time additional power must be provided by Natural Gas -powered Gas Turbine Peaker Plant s. Solano County has one of the five major wind farms in California and has integrated the most advanced wind power technology anywhere in the United States. From 2003 to 2006, dozens of state-of-the-art turbines were installed at the Montezuma Hills near the Sacramento River delta. Eight of the turbines, at 415 feet tall, are the largest in the United States--and are 110 feet taller than the Statue Of Liberty . These 3-megawatt Vestas wind turbines each produce enough power to meet the annual needs of more than 1,000 households. . ( U.S. ) Today's turbines are larger and spaced farther apart, as that has proven to be a more cost-effective approach.]] The Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm and San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm sites have not had the same problems as Altamont Pass has had. The winds at these sites are more consistent. Also, endangered bird kills have not been an issue. Even though California has some of the largest wind farms in the U.S., it does not have very many commercially viable wind farm sites, at least not onshore. Much of the in the development of wind energy with their combined capacities expected to reach 2,000 MW in 2007. The Pacific Northwest and the Northeast both have many excellent sites as well. In contrast, the Southeast has a very poor wind energy resource, though the Appalachian Mountains do provide a few good areas. The new wind turbines, each with a rated capacity of 1.65MW, resulting in a rated site capacity of 320MW (equivalent to a mid-sized power plant). The site was dedicated on Sept. 26, 2006 with all but one turbine in operation (one tower was damaged in shipping and is waiting for replacement). Maple Ridge (formerly Flat Rock Wind Farm) provides about $10 million in benefit to the local community with about $2 million annual payments to 75 landowners, and $8 million in tax revenues to the region. This site has increased New York's renewable energy generation by sixfold. The project is jointly owned by PPM Energy and Horizon Wind Energy . In West Virginia the Mountaineer Wind Energy Center near Thomas has been operational since December 2002. It consists of 44 turbines generating 66MW. The site is owned by FPL Energy . In , Martha's Vineyard , and Nantucket as well as among environmentalists. The Hoosac Wind project, which will build 20 turbines on two ridgelines in the rural towns of Florida and Monroe , was initially the subject of little official controversy, but has been delayed by a suit to protect wetlands. Several other projects have been proposed for the area. Another 40-turbine offshore wind power installation has been proposed for the ocean off Jones Beach, Long Island, New York. It has the backing of many local and national environmental groups {Link without Title} as well as the Long Island Power Authority and the Governor of New York. In New Jersey , the country's first coastal wind farm became operational in December 2005. The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm in Atlantic City consists of five 1.5-MW turbines. New Mexico is home of the New Mexico Wind Energy Center near Fort Sumner, New Mexico , having 136 turbines with a peak output of 1.5 megawatts each. Ironically, this site is owned by FPL Energy ; i.e. Florida Power and Light. PNM claims that this facility is the world's third largest wind generation project, but the reference may be out-of-date.http://www.pnm.com/systems/nmwec.htm The American Wind Energy Association provides information about existing and proposed projects in the U.S. As of August, 2005 wind farms in the US are regulated by the Minerals Management Service . As of May 31, 2006, the project opponents. Since then, the FAA has began permitting construction to resume, as no evidence of any radar difficulty has been found (or ever was suspected). SEE ALSO
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