Albany Wind Farm, Western Australia

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Albany Wind Farm.

Albany Wind Farm is a wind power station near Albany, Western Australia. It has 12 wind turbines, with a generating capacity of 21 MW of electricity.

Albany Wind Farm was commissioned in October 2001.

The Albany wind farm is the biggest wind farm in Australia and has 12 wind turbine generators situated on it. The turbines are the model ENERCON E-66, each with three 35 metre long blades made from fibreglass and kevlar (making them very flexible in order to withstand any conditions) and are fitted to 65m towers. The nose cone which the blades attach to weighs around 14 tonnes. These turbines are the largest that have been installed in the southern hemisphere. The turbines operate automatically, with the three blades adjusted to make best use of power output from any wind direction or strength. They have been designed to withstand the strongest winds likely in Albany and incorporate special lightning protection.

Albany wind farm is situated in Albany on the southern coast of Western Australia, the wind farm is about 12km south-west of the city. The positioning which the generators have been situated is perfect. It is in an elevated position of approximately 80m above the Southern Ocean. This height (makes it accessible to the wind), nearness to the coastline (coastline is where most wind is produced) and small distance to the main electricity transmission system make this an outstanding wind farm site. The turbines produce an average of 75 per cent of clean, green electricity for Albany.

The wind farm is owned by the Western Power Corporation. The turbines were made in Germany and then shipped into Australia. The wind farm opened in October 2001 and had taken ten years planning before the site was built.