Capital Wind Farm
Map
CountryAustralia
Location30 km (19 mi) north east of Canberra
Coordinates35°08′45″S 149°34′02″E / 35.1458°S 149.5671°E / -35.1458; 149.5671
StatusOperational
Construction beganEarly 2008
Commission dateOctober 2009
Construction costA$370 million[1]
Owner(s)Infigen Energy
Operator(s)Infigen Energy
Wind farm
TypeOnshore
Site usageFarming
Hub height80 metres (262 ft)
Rotor diameter88 metres (289 ft)
Site area35 square kilometres (3,500 ha)
Power generation
Units operational67 × 2.1 MW
Make and modelSuzlon S88
Nameplate capacity140.7 MW
Capacity factor27.88% (average 2011-2020)
Annual net output343.66 GWh (average 2011-2020)
External links
Websitewww.infigenenergy.com
[edit on Wikidata]

The Capital Wind Farm near Bungendore is the largest wind farm in New South Wales. It is part of the 6,000-hectare (15,000-acre) Capital Renewable Energy Precinct, along with nearby Woodlawn Wind Farm and the Capital East Solar Demonstration Plant.

Capital Wind Farm was built by international contractors Suzlon Energy for owner and operator Infigen Energy. Construction began in early 2008, and the wind farm became fully operational in October 2009. It is a 140.7 megawatt wind farm with 67 turbines.

In 2009, the project was expected to have a capacity factor of 35.8%,[2] and thus generate on average 441 GWh of energy per year. However, from 2011 to 2020 it ran at an average of 27.88% capacity factor, with a corresponding annual generation of 343.66 GWh.[citation needed]

Location

The Capital Wind Farm is around 30 kilometres (19 mi) north east of Canberra, just southeast of Lake George and north of Bungendore. It is located in open farming country, with minimal obstructions in the landscape and smooth topography.[3]

Construction

The Capital Wind Farm was built for Infigen Energy by Suzlon Energy.[4] It was constructed as part of the Kurnell Desalination Plant project to offset the power usage of the desalination plant.[5][6]

"The wind farm has been designed to produce more than enough energy to operate the desalination plant to cover the days when there is less wind. It will increase the supply of wind energy in NSW by over 700%. It is a massive boost to the renewable energy sector and an environmentally sensible way to offset the power needs of the desalination plant."[7]

The wind farm was completed in October 2009 at a cost estimated between A$220 million and A$370 million.[1][8] It was opened by the Prime Minister at the time, Kevin Rudd, in November 2009.[9][10]

People and employment

Since the wind farm was established, the population of nearby Bungendore has increased by 24 per cent, which the Clean Energy Council has claimed is because of its proximity to the wind farm.[11]

During the construction of the Capital Wind Farm, 120 people were employed on the project. Over the construction period, about A$10 million went into the local economy, with spending up at the local stores, restaurants and motels.[12] Since construction has finished there are 15 ongoing jobs at the wind farm for service and maintenance.

Some residents who live nearby to the Capital Wind Farm have complained about the noise from the turbines.[13][14][15]

Operations

The generation table uses eljmkt nemlog to obtain generation values for each month.

Capital Wind Farm Generation (MWh)
Year Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2011 330,153 24,371 21,017 25,887 21,240 23,053 44,703 40,425 22,345 40,296 24,303 26,351 16,162
2012 297,064 25,062 16,197 18,864 15,830 16,392 21,578 22,961 47,684 33,177 26,195 20,994 32,130
2013 369,658 26,410 22,866 28,609 20,651 27,506 23,714 31,744 55,189 36,148 38,052 30,211 28,558
2014 312,958 27,791 22,841 19,663 16,855 22,254 36,537 41,554 23,722 27,342 25,213 23,440 25,746
2015 318,925 26,954 15,771 27,006 21,545 36,441 15,766 32,011 40,761 21,819 27,091 27,074 26,686
2016 385,739 23,836 21,933 17,217 15,709 52,070 44,241 44,201 30,433 29,154 48,656 30,421 27,868
2017 334,639 25,886 26,918 25,939 14,056 17,714 14,302 42,318 43,217 53,499 22,356 18,283 30,151
2018 362,621 19,263 25,908 29,562 22,220 25,986 31,550 44,886 46,333 29,100 29,319 33,849 24,645
2019 367,982 21,997 24,572 25,353 18,835 30,840 18,624 40,172 41,305 36,338 28,501 42,414 39,031
2020 356,829 31,037 31,876 22,143 34,971 25,757 22,903 22,894 47,482 34,570 31,919 20,649 30,628
2021 27,356 19,614 32,710 20,721 19,174 28,916 41,458 36,184 34,815

Note: Records date back to 2011.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Megan Doherty (24 December 2008). "Wind turbines sprout, bring a change of heart". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 31 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  2. ^ "PRESENTATION TO ANALYSTS AT THE CAPITAL WIND FARM" (PDF). 19 November 2009. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  3. ^ Infigen Energy. "The Capital Wind Farm" (PDF). Infigen Energy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  4. ^ Industry Capability Network (ICN). "Capital Wind Farm starts a new industry supply chain". ICN. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  5. ^ Edmund Tadros and Brian Robins (14 May 2008). "Wind farm vow to power desalination". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Wind turbines to power NSW desal plant". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  7. ^ Sydney Water. "Renewable energy". Archived from the original on 11 December 2009.
  8. ^ Alan Copeland (November 2009). "Electricity Generation Major Development Projects -- October 2009 Listing" (PDF). ABARE. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  9. ^ "Biggest NSW wind farm online". ABC News. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  10. ^ Jim Trail (18 November 2009). "Prime Minister Rudd opens the Capital Wind Farm". 666 ABC Canberra. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  11. ^ "Wind farms beneficial: Clean Energy Council". ABC Rural. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 31 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  12. ^ Kate Thornton (13 January 2012). "The answer is blowing on the wind". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  13. ^ Alan Dick (29 November 2010). "Wind farm critics slam 'all in the mind' games". The Land. Archived from the original on 31 March 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  14. ^ Josephine Tovey (20 February 2012). "Scepticism over Hazzard's audit of wind farm noise". The Courier. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  15. ^ Debra Jopson (21 September 2009). "Wind turbines put farmers in a spin". The Land. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
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