A 21st century windfarm in the California Central Valley

A wind farm in Spain. The 21st century is the current century of the Christian Era or Common Era in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Central Valley is a large flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U

A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power. A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the Kinetic energy in Wind into Mechanical energy. Individual turbines are interconnected with a medium voltage (usually 34. 5 kV) power collection system and communications network. At a substation, this medium-voltage electrical current is increased in voltage with a transformer for connection to the high voltage transmission system. A transformer is a device that transfers Electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled Electrical conductors A large wind farm may consist of a few dozen to about 100 individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles (square kilometers), but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other purposes. A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the Kinetic energy in Wind into Mechanical energy. A wind farm may be located off-shore to take advantage of strong winds blowing over the surface of an ocean or lake.

A proposed solution for wind energy and other intermittent power sources is to create a supergrid of interconnected wind farms^[1] across western Europe. Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was An intermittent power source is a source of electric Power generation that may be uncontrollably Variable or more intermittent than conventional power sources Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' This large-scale array of dispersed wind farms^[2] would be located in different wind regimes.

Location planning

Wind speed

Map of available wind power over the United States. Color codes indicate wind power density class.

As a general rule, wind generators are practical where the average wind speed is 10 mph (16 km/h or 4. 5 m/s) or greater. An 'ideal' location would have a near constant flow of non-turbulent wind throughout the year with a minimum likelihood of sudden powerful bursts of wind. A vitally important factor of turbine siting is also access to local demand or transmission capacity. Electric power transmission, a process in the delivery of Electricity to consumers is the bulk transfer of electrical power

Usually sites are preselected on basis of a wind atlas, and validated with wind measurements. A wind atlas contains data on the wind speed and wind direction in a region Meteorological wind data alone is usually not sufficient for accurate siting of a large wind power project. Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary Collection of site specific data for wind speed and direction is crucial to determining site potential. ^[3] To collect wind data a meteorological tower is installed with instruments at various heights along the tower. All towers include anemometers to determine the wind speed and wind vanes to determine the direction. The towers generally vary in height from 30 to 60 meters. The towers primarily are guyed steel-pipe structures which are left to collect data for one to two years and then disassembled. Data is collected by a data logging device which stores and transmits data for analysis. Great attention must be paid to the exact positions of the turbines (a process known as micro-siting) because a difference of 30 m can sometimes double energy production.

Altitude

The wind blows faster at higher altitudes because of the reduced influence of drag of the surface and lower air viscosity. The increase in velocity with altitude is most dramatic near the surface and is affected by topography, surface roughness, and upwind obstacles such as trees or buildings. Typically, the increase of wind speeds with increasing height follows a wind profile power law, which predicts that wind speed rises proportionally to the seventh root of altitude. The wind profile power law is a relationship between the wind speeds at one height and those at another Doubling the altitude of a turbine, then, increases the expected wind speeds by 10% and the expected power by 34%.

Wind park effect

Wind farms have many turbines and each extracts some of the energy of the wind. Where land area is sufficient, turbines are spaced three to five rotor diameters apart perpendicular to the prevailing wind, and five to ten rotor diameters apart in the direction of the prevailing wind, to minimize efficiency loss. The "wind park effect" loss can be as low as 2% of the combined nameplate rating of the turbines.

Environmental and esthetic impacts

See Wind power#environmental effects for a discussion of environmental impacts of wind power. Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was Near-shore and certain inland wind sites may have significant esthetic impact, since the turbines are visible for great distances. Wind farm siting must also consider impacts on wildlife, including migratory animals. Wind project proponents may face opposition from area residents conerened about sound level, light flicker, appearance, and the other impacts of wind turbine placement.

Types

Onshore

Onshore turbine installations in hilly or mountainous regions tend to be on ridgelines generally three kilometers or more inland from the nearest shoreline. This is done to exploit the so-called topographic acceleration as the wind accelerates over a ridge. The additional wind speeds gained in this way make large differences to the amount of energy that is produced. Great attention must be paid to the exact positions of the turbines (a process known as micro-siting) because a difference of 30 m can sometimes mean a doubling in output. Local winds are often monitored for a year or more with anemometers and detailed wind maps constructed before wind generators are installed. An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed and is one instrument used in a Weather station.

For smaller installations where such data collection is too expensive or time consuming, the normal way of prospecting for wind-power sites is to directly look for trees or vegetation that are permanently "cast" or deformed by the prevailing winds. Prospecting is the physical search for Minerals Fossils precious metals or mineral specimens and is also known as Fossicking. Another way is to use a wind-speed survey map, or historical data from a nearby meteorological station, although these methods are less reliable.

Wind farm siting can sometimes be highly controversial, particularly when sites are picturesque or environmentally sensitive (for instance, having substantial bird life).

Near-Shore

Near-Shore turbine installations are on land within three kilometers of a shoreline or on water within ten kilometers of land. These areas are good sites for turbine installation, because of wind produced by convection due to differential heating of land and sea each day. Wind speeds in these zones share the characteristics of both onshore and offshore wind, depending on the prevailing wind direction.

Common issues that are shared within near-shore wind development zones are bird migration and nesting, aquatic habitat, transportation (including shipping and boating) and visual aesthetics. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called Residents near some sites have strongly opposed the installation of wind farms due to these concerns.

Offshore

Offshore wind turbines near Copenhagen

Offshore wind development zones are generally considered to be ten kilometers or more from land. Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city Offshore wind turbines are less obtrusive than turbines on land, as their apparent size and noise can be mitigated by distance. Because water has less surface roughness than land (especially deeper water), the average wind speed is usually considerably higher over open water. Capacity factors (utilisation rates) are considerably higher than for onshore and near-shore locations.

In stormy areas with extended shallow continental shelves (such as Denmark), turbines are practical to install; for example Denmark has many offshore windfarms. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe ^[4]

The United Kingdom plans to use offshore wind turbines to generate enough power to light every home in the U. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located K. by 2020. ^[5]

Locations have begun to be developed in the Great Lakes — with one project by Trillium Power approximately 20 km from shore and over 700 MW in size. The Laurentian Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada–United States border. Ontario, Canada is pursuing several proposed near-shore locations in fresh water ^[6] and one on the Pacific west coast ^[7].

Offshore installation is more expensive than onshore but this depends on the attributes of the site. Offshore towers are generally taller than onshore towers once the submerged height is included. Offshore foundations may be more expensive to build. Power transmission from offshore turbines is through undersea cable. Offshore installations may use high voltage direct current operation if significant distance is to be covered. HVDC or high-voltage Direct current Electric power transmission systems contrast with the more common Alternating current systems as a means Offshore saltwater environments can also raise maintenance costs by corroding the towers, but fresh-water locations such as the Great Lakes do not. Repairs and maintenance are usually more costly than on onshore turbines. Offshore saltwater wind turbines are outfitted with extensive corrosion protection measures like coatings and cathodic protection, which may not be required in fresh water locations. Cathodic protection ( CP) is a technique to control the Corrosion of a metal surface by making it work as a Cathode of an Electrochemical

Offshore wind turbines will probably continue to be the largest turbines in operation, since the high fixed costs of the installation are spread over more energy production, reducing the average cost. Fixed costs are business Expenses that are not dependent on the level of production or sales In Economics, average cost is equal to total cost divided by the number of goods produced (the output quantity Q Offshore wind farms tend to be quite large, often involving over 100 turbines.

Airborne

Main article: Airborne wind turbine

Wind turbines might also be flown in high speed winds at altitude, although no such systems are in commercial operation. An airborne wind turbine is a design concept for a Wind turbine that is supported in the air without a tower

Capacity by country

Wind power capacity installed and under construction by country

Wind farms by country

Main article: Wind power#Utilization of wind power

See also: Category:Wind power by country

Australia

Some of the largest wind farms in Australia are:

1. Wattle Point (SA) — 90. Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was Wattle Point Wind Farm is a Wind farm near Edithburgh on the coast of South Australia, which has been operating since April 2005. 75 MW
2. Alinta/Walkaway (WA) — 90 MW
3. Lake Bonney (stage 1) (SA) — 80. Alinta Wind Farm is a Wind power station at Walkaway, just south of Geraldton, Western Australia. 5 MW
4. Cathedral Rocks (SA) — 66 MW
5. Emu Downs Wind Farm, Western Australia (WA) — 80 MW

Brazil

1. São Gonçalo do Amarante/CE (10 Turbines)
2. Prainha de Aquiraz-CE (20 Turbines)
3. Mucuripe-CE (4 Turbines)
4. Fernando de Noronha Island-PE 1&2 (2 Turbines)
5. Olinda-PE 1&2 (2 Turbines)
6. Morro do Camelinho-MG (4 Turbines)
7. Palmas-PR (5 Turbines)
8. Osório-RS (75 Turbines)

Canada

Main article: List of wind farms in Canada

Huron Wind farm in Tiverton, Ontario, Canada, includes five Vestas V80s installed in November 2002

The total capacity of all wind farms in Canada is approximately 1,856 MW as of January, 2008. Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm is a Wind power station at Port Lincoln, South Australia. The 792 MW Emu Downs Wind Farm ( is a joint development between Stanwell Corporation and Griffin Energy and construction of the $180 million project commenced in Fernando de Noronha is an Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, around 354 km offshore Palmas is the capital of the Brazilian state of Tocantins. According to IBGE estimates from July 2005 the city had 208165 inhabitants This is a list of wind farms in Canada of over 10 Megawatts (MW capacity Huron Wind is the first commercial Wind farm in Ontario. It is located in the village of Inverhuron Ontario near Tiverton, and consists of Tiverton ( 2001 census population 743 is a community located in Ontario, Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Vestas is a Danish company that designs manufactures sells erects and services Wind turbines Founded in 1945 by Peder Hansen from the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page ^[16] Each province and territory contains the following capacity (rounded to one decimal):

1. Alberta, 524. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 0 MW,
2. Ontario, 501. Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec 3 MW,
3. Quebec, 422. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk 2 MW,
4. Saskatchewan, 171. Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 2 MW,
5. Manitoba, 104. Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America 0 MW,
6. Prince Edward Island, 72. Prince Edward Island (ˌprɪns ˌɛdwɚd ˈaɪlɨnd ( PEI or P 4 MW,
7. Nova Scotia, 59. Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's 3 MW,
8. Yukon, 0. Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. 8 MW, and then
9. Newfoundland and Labrador, 0. Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation 4 MW.

There are currently no operating wind farms in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nunavut (territory), or the Northwest Territories. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the The Northwest Territories (ˌnɔrθˌwɛstˈtɛrɨtɔriz ( NWT or NT; French, les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a territory

The five largest wind farms in Canada are:

1. Prince Project — Phase I&II (Ontario), 189 MW
2. Murdochville Project — Phase I&II&III (Quebec), 162 MW
3. Centennial (SaskPower near Swift Current, Saskatchewan), 149. Prince Township Wind Farm is the largest Wind farm in Canada It is located north of Sault Ste Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk SaskPower is the principal supplier of electricity in Saskatchewan, Canada. Swift Current is a small City in Southwest Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway 4 MW
4. Erie Shores (Ontario), 99 MW
5. St Leon — Phase 2 (Manitoba), 84 MW

Government support for wind power continues to increase. Erie Shores Wind Farm is a large Wind farm near Port Burwell Ontario. Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America The last incentive, the Wind Power Production Incentive ended on March 31, 2007 (WPPI)^[17], and future projects are part of its new Ecoenergy set of programs, ecoEnergy for Renewable Power^[18]. Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan's ecoENERGY Retrofit program provides financial support to homeowners small and medium-sized businesses public institutions and industrial facilities There is an additional 5826 MW planned or under construction.

European Union

A wind farm in a mountainous area in Galicia, Spain

Wind turbines in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Main article: Wind power in the European Union

The development of wind farms in Europe enjoys greater public acceptance and creates a larger share of energy. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The market for European Wind power capacity grew in 2006 according to statistics from the European Wind Energy Association. Germany has the biggest wind turbine to be established offshore, and the largest number of wind farms in the world. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Its installed capacity was 20,622 MW as of December 2006. The second country in capacity was Spain with 11,615 MW. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The third one was Denmark with 3,136 MW. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Italy was in the fourth position, with 2,123 MW. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest ^[19]

Overall national government policies across Europe are also generally in favour of increasing the use of renewable energy sources. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal The United Kingdom government, for example, has a target for 10% of domestic energy consumption to be generated from renewable sources by the year 2010. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two. A number of on- and off-shore wind farms are currently going through planning permission at the moment. See Development Control for an overall explanation of how control under the Town and Country Planning legislation is operated in the United Kingdom Recently an onshore farm was opened at Cefn Croes in West Wales's Cambrian Mountains. Cefn Croes, the site of a controversial Wind farm project is in the Cambrian Mountains, just south of the A44 road between Aberystwyth The Cambrian Mountains are a series of Mountain ranges in Wales, reaching from and including the South Wales mountains of the Brecon Beacons In May 2006, operational wind farms in wind farms in the UK comprised an installed capacity of 1693 MW, in Portugal 1188 MW,^[20] in France 918 MW and in the Republic of Ireland 496 MW. Wind power in the United Kingdom passed the milestone of 2 GW installed capacity on 9 February 2007 with the opening of the Braes O'Doune wind farm near Stirling Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The planned 322 MW wind farm south of Glasgow will be the biggest wind farm in Europe. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom The €350 million farm is ordered by Scottish Power and the 140 wind turbines are to be delivered by Siemens. Scottish Power Limited is a Vertically integrated Energy company with its headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland, and a subsidiary

On 18 December 2006, the British government gave planning consent for the world's largest offshore wind farm, the 'London Array'. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The London Array is a planned offshore Wind farm in the outer Thames Estuary in the United Kingdom. It is to be built 12 miles off of the Kent coast and will include 341 turbines. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format

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. ^[21]

An important limiting factor of wind power is variable power generated by wind farms. An intermittent power source is a source of electric Power generation that may be uncontrollably Variable or more intermittent than conventional power sources In most locations the wind blows only part of the time, which means that there has to be back-up capacity of conventional generating capacity to cover periods that the wind is not blowing. To address this issue it has been proposed to create a "supergrid" of interconnected wind farms ^[22] across western Europe, ranging from Denmark across the southern North Sea to England and the Celtic Sea to Ireland, and further south to France and Spain especially in Higueruela which was considered for some time the biggest wind farm in the world. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Celtic Sea (An Mhuir Cheilteach Y Môr Celtaidd An Mor Keltek Ar Mor Keltiek La Mer Celtique is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the South Coast Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Higueruela is a municipality located at 43km east of Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. ^[23] The idea is that by the time a low pressure area has moved away from Denmark to the Baltic Sea the next low appears of the coast of Ireland. A low pressure area, or " low " is a region where the Atmospheric pressure is lower in relation to the surrounding area The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. 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.

India

A wind farm in Muppandal, Tamil Nadu, India

Main article: Wind power in India

At the end of September 2007, India had 7660. Muppandal (முப்பந்தல் is a small village on the southern tip of India in Kanyakumari District, in the state of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu ( Tamil:, Country of the Tamils, t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ is one of the 28 states of India. The development of wind power in India began in the 1990s and has significantly increased in the last few years India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country 2 MW of wind generating capacity and is the fourth largest market in the world. ^[24] Indian Wind Energy Association has estimated that with the current level of technology, the ‘on-shore’ potential for utilization of wind energy for electricity generation is of the order of 65,000 MW. ^[25] There are about a dozen wind pumps of various designs providing water for agriculture, afforestation, and domestic purposes, all scattered over the country. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Afforestation is the process of establishing a forest on land that is not a forest or has not been a forest for a long time by planting trees or their seeds The wind farms are predominantly present in the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat. Tamil Nadu ( Tamil:, Country of the Tamils, t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ is one of the 28 states of India. Maharashtra ( Marathi: mahārāṣṭra, IPA) is a state located on the western coast of India. Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ pronounced) is a state in the southern part of India Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India. Other states like Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh have a very good potential. Rājasthān ( Devanāgarī: राजस्थान raːdʒəst̪ʰaːn is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area Kerala ( Malayalam: {{Kerala in Malayalam}}; Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP) ( Hindī: मध्य प्रदेश pronounced, Translation: Middle Province) often

Japan

Wakamatsu wind farm, Kitakyushu, 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. Wakamatsu ward (若松区 -ku is one of the wards of Kitakyushu city. is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is midway between Tokyo and Shanghai. 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. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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.

New Zealand

New Zealand is located in the northern latitudes of the 'roaring 40s' — an abundant wind energy resource. The Roaring Forties is a name given especially by sailors to the latitudes between 40°S and 50°S so called because of the boisterous and prevailing westerly winds Genesis Energy built the Hau Nui wind farm in 1996 and is located south east of Martinborough on the coastal road to White Rock. Genesis Energy Investment Company is a Solar energy investment company based in Budapest Hungary, which invests in the emerging Photovoltaics market Martinborough is a town in South Wairarapa, a district in the Wellington region on the North Island of New Zealand. 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. Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the The Electricity Corporation of New Zealand Ltd (ECNZ is a New Zealand State-Owned Enterprise formed on April 1 1987 as a transition entity in the process of 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 Limited, a New Zealand -based company, generates and retails Electricity. Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the Meridian Energy have finished the Te Apiti Wind Farm on the Ruahine Ranges. Meridian Energy Limited, a New Zealand -based company, generates and retails Electricity. Te Apiti is a Wind farm owned and operated by Meridian Energy Limited. It can be seen clearly at Ashhurst near Palmerston North. Location features and population Ashhurst is sited 14 kilometres northeast of the city of Palmerston North and is a small rural town with a population of 2526 (2006 census Palmerston North (Te Papa-i-oea is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. The Te Rere Hau Wind Farm is under construction nearby. Te Rere Hau is a Wind farm owned and operated by NZ Windfarms Ltd Meridian Energy's White Hill wind farm at Mossburn in the South Island, reached full capacity in 2007. TrustPower purchased the Tararua wind farm, located on the Tararua Ranges behind Palmerston North, from Tararua Wind Power Limited. TrustPower is a New Zealand Electricity generation and Electricity retailing company and is listed on the New Zealand stock exchange The Tararua Range (often referred to as the Tararua Ranges) is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form Palmerston North (Te Papa-i-oea is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. As of September 2007 this was New Zealand's largest wind farm, with an installed capacity of 161MW, half of the country's total installed capacity. Applications for resource content have been submitted for several new wind farms, with a total potential capacity of 1900MW as of late 2007.

South Africa

The first commercial wind farm in South Africa 13km's outside Darling in the Western Cape on farm Windhoek, was opened on the 23rd of May 2008. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The first phase consists 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 environmental and aviation 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.

United States

Aerial photo of a wind farm along the Allegheny Front in southern Pennsylvania

Main article: Wind power in the United States

The United States has the third most installed capacity of wind power in the world, after Germany and Spain. The Allegheny Front is a portion of the Escarpment that delineates the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau (locally called the Allegheny Plateau The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Wind power in the United States is a growing industry In 2007 the United States was the fastest growing wind power market in the world for the third year in a row Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. As of January 2008, its wind farms had a combined capacity of 16,818 MW. ^[14] Historically, the rise of wind farms in the US began in the late 1970s when the US government implemented favorable tax policies for wind investors as a reaction to the energy crisis of that era. An energy crisis is any great bottleneck (or price Rise) in the supply of energy resources to an economy. Subsequent variability over time of the availability of government incentives, combined with an easing of energy costs led to an extended stagnation in the US wind energy industry in the following decades. In the mid-2000s, however, higher energy prices combined with an increase in demand for green energy (driven in large part by policy setting at the state level — such as the creation of statewide Renewable Portfolio Standards — in the absence of any materially significant or coordinated federal response to global warming) to result in unprecedented and accelerating growth in new wind development. Green energy is a term used to describe sources of energy that are considered to be Environmentally friendly and non- polluting. A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS is a regulatory policy that requires the increased production of Renewable energy sources such as Wind, Solar Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the

Currently, the largest wind farm in the US – and the largest in the world – is Florida Power & Light's Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, located in Taylor County, Texas. Florida Power & Light Company, the principal subsidiary of FPL Group Inc Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is the world's largest Wind farm at 735 Taylor County is a County located in the US state of Texas. In 2000 its population was 126555 The Horse Hollow project operates 421 wind turbines and has a capacity of 735 megawatts. ^[26] Prior to Horse Hollow's completion, the largest US wind farm was the Stateline Wind Project on the Oregon-Washington line, with a peak capacity of 300 megawatts. The Stateline Wind Project ( is a Wind farm located on Vansycle Ridge, which receives 16 to 18 mph average wind speeds from the Columbia Gorge Three California wind "farms" arguably have greater combined capacity than the Stateline farm, but are actually collections of dozens of individual wind farms. The California 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 older and smaller wind turbines are being replaced with much larger, more efficient models. Some of the workhorses of the past were only 65 kilowatts (kW) in capacity or even smaller, though some were several hundred kW. The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. 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.

Wind turbines in Solano County, California

Northern California is home to one of the earliest large wind farms. A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the Kinetic energy in Wind into Mechanical energy. Solano County is a County located in Bay-Delta region of the U California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Northern California is the northern portion of the US state of California. 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. The Altamont Pass Wind Farm is one of the earliest in the United States located in the Altamont Pass. The Central Valley is a large flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U 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 plants. Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary Engine that extracts energy from a flow of Combustion gas Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants are Power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand known as Peak demand, for Electricity 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. Solano County is a County located in Bay-Delta region of the U From 2003 to 2006, dozens of state-of-the-art turbines were installed at the Montezuma Hills near the Sacramento River delta. The Montezuma Hills comprise a small range of low-elevation hills at the northern banks of the Sacramento River Delta in Solano County, California. The Sacramento River is the longest River entirely within the U 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. Liberty Enlightening the World (La liberté éclairant le monde commonly known as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté was presented These 3-megawatt Vestas wind turbines each produce enough power to meet the annual needs of more than 1,000 households. Vestas is a Danish company that designs manufactures sells erects and services Wind turbines Founded in 1945 by Peder Hansen from the

Numerous small and fast turning wind turbines at Tehachapi Pass. Tehachapi Pass (elevation) is a Mountain pass in southern California in the United States. (US) Today's turbines are larger and spaced farther apart, as that has proven to be a more cost-effective approach.

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 Southwest is not much better, although there are some significant exceptions. The Southwestern area of the United States could be defined as the states west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit such as the 37 The Great Plains states have an abundance of suitable sites for wind energy development^[27] however the region's potential is still largely untapped. The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada Iowa and Minnesota are leading the Midwest 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. The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U In contrast, the Southeast has a very poor wind energy resource, though the Appalachian Mountains do provide a few good areas. The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America.

See also

• Intermittent power source
• Electrical generator
• Net metering
• Wind power
• Value of wind
• Wind turbine
• Wind power in the United Kingdom
• Wave farm
• Category:Wind power by country
• List of large wind farms

References

External links

• Wind Over Water — a documentary film about the Cape Wind Project a proposed wind farm in Massachusetts, US.
• Altahullion Wind farm A Quicktime VR panorama illustrating the scale of the largest wind farm in Ireland
• Wind power
• MySME.deInformation on Wind Farm Development in Germany
• Offshorewind.net — Offshore wind energy information.
• www.world-wind.energy.info — Basic information of wind energy utilisation (technology, planning a wind farm, grid integration etc. ), presented by the World Wind Energy Association
• American Wind Energy Association. An association promoting wind power growth through advocacy and education.
• Pictures of a Wind Farm being deployed
• National Wind Watch — A coalition of US wind power opposition groups.
• Chanson, Hubert (2004). Wind Farms in Brittany (Bretagne), France. Shore and Beach, 72 3: 15-16
• Wind Farm Buffets Family, Town Relations by David Baron. Retrieved on 2008-04-09. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans)