Largest on-shore wind farm in Europe begins service

Thursday, 21 May 2009 15:03

The largest on-shore wind firm went into operation in Scotland on May 20.  The Whitelee wind farm, with 140 wind turbines and 322 megawatts of capacity, had already enough supply for the needs of Glasgow 12 miles to the north.  The latest phase increases capacity by one third.

Whitelee is one of the first large wind farms to be constructed so near a large metropolitan area.  Built on 55 square kilometres of moorland 1200 feet above sea level, each turbine stands 100 metres high and, on average, can generate around 2.5 megawatts annually.  Scottish Power Renewables, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iberdrola, developed the wind farm.

Despite the completion of the latest expansion to Whitelee, further expansion is expected.  As the latest phase came into service, Alex Salmond announced plans to increase generation capacity by another third to 452 megawatts.  Salmond is Scotland’s first minister.  

An even larger project – this one involving 150 turbines capable of producing 540 megawatts – has been announced by the Scottish government.  The first minister announced ambitious goals for Scotland to have half its energy supply come from renewable sources by the year 2020.  These announcements certainly fall in line with these goals.  Officials say the 2011 goal requiring 31 percent of electricity come from renewable sources has already been met.

“Whitelee in its current form is already flying the flag for onshore wind power in Europe,” said Salmond.  “The planned extension, which I am delighted to announce today, will enable the wind farm to harness its comparative and competitive advantage in wind generated energy within Europe.”

Environmental groups cheer these latest developments in Scotland.  Andy Atkins, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, called it “an exciting step towards a greener future – tit will slash carbon emissions and generate enough clean, safe power for over 180,000 homes.”  Atkins made his comments at the opening of the Whitelee Wind Farm.

“The UK has the best wind resource in Europe,” continued Atkins, “but more must be done to harness this potential, create thousands of new green jobs and help make the UK a world leader in creating a low-carbon economy.”

Friends of the Earth (FOE) would like British government to help innovators meet the some of the challenges within the green energy industry.  The group points out that the only manufacturer of wind turbines in Britain may be forced to close two of its manufacturing plants – at a cost of over 600 UK jobs.

FOE would like a “green bank” to be established to help finance the fledgling industry.  The new bank could also finance a huge offshore power supply that could connect into a pan-European renewable energy grid.

By its very nature, renewable energy can be an unpredictable supply.  After all, the wind is not always blowing and the sun is not always shining.  FOE would like to see the Britain’s smart grid reflect this fact by balancing the supply with the demand for power.