Mount Emerald Wind Farm
| Mount Emerald Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 17°11′S 145°22′E / 17.183°S 145.367°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 14 February 2017 |
| Commission date | August 2018 |
| Construction cost | $400 million |
| Owner(s) | |
| Operator(s) | RATCH-Australia |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Hub height | 84 m (276 ft) Vestas V112 90 m (295 ft) Vestas V117 |
| Rotor diameter | 112 m (367 ft) 117 m (384 ft) |
| Rated wind speed | 50 km/h (13.9 m/s) |
| Site area | 2,400 ha (24 km2) |
| Site elevation | 900 m (2,953 ft) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 16 × 3.3 MW 37 × 3.45 MW |
| Make and model | Vestas V112-3.3MW Vestas V117-3.45MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 180.5 MW |
| Annual net output | 500-600 GWh |
| External links | |
| Website | mtemeraldwindfarm |
Mount Emerald Wind Farm is a 180 MW wind farm situated on Mount Emerald, in Arriga, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.[1] It is approximately 8 km WNW of Tolga, and 49 km SW of Cairns. The project is a joint venture between Port Bajool (land owner) and RATCH-Australia (wind farm developer and operator). RATCH-Australia bought the project from Transfield Services in July 2011.[2]
Construction
The site was formerly used as a military training area in World War II so the site had to be carefully inspected to find any unexpoded ordnance; several were found and safely destroyed.[3]
Operations
The wind farm registered its first grid output in August 2018 and reached maximum output in January 2019. The electricty network around the wind farm is generally constrained; this has an impact on the total amount of electricity it can receive from the wind farm. Studies are being undertaken to increasing the capacity of the network using technologies such as synchronous condensers and grid-scale batteries.[4][5]
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 114,356 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2,239* | 27,237* | 19,132* | 30,535* | 35,213* |
| 2019 | 455,639 | 39,124* | 21,108* | 33,043* | 62,106 | 53,452 | 45,636 | 33,884 | 45,804 | 40,882 | 33,083 | 26,186 | 21,331 |
| 2020 | 348,260 | 20,204 | 10,891 | 36,588 | 38,551 | 48,914 | 56,223 | 17,879* | 14,075* | 33,172* | 15,113* | 37,952* | 18,698* |
| 2021 | 28,953 | 14,298 | 36,514 | 43,141 | 52,500 | 30,136 | 32,432 | 63,443 | 59,085 | 20,474 | 25,138 | 32,015 | |
| 2022 | 21,812 | 23,242 | 26,568 | 50,452 | 29,027 |
Note: Asterisk indicates power output was limited during the month.
Environmental impact
Environmental groups have claimed that the construction of roads and bases for the wind turbines caused significant destruction of the formerly untouched wilderness.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "MT EMERALD WIND FARMREVISED A-WEIGHTED NOISE ASSESSMENT" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Mount Emerald Newsletter 3" (PDF). RATCH-Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ "Where the wild wind blows … on the job at the Mount Emerald Wind Farm |". EcoGeneration. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ Lee, Dan (30 June 2022). "On the fringes: the outer edges of the NEM remain the most prone to volatile MLFs". WattClarity. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Network Planning: North Queensland System Strength Constraints" (PDF). Powerlink Queensland. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "'This is utter madness': The massive wind farms angering fans of renewable energy". ABC News. 11 December 2021.
