Mt Stuart Wind Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mt Stuart Wind Farm |
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|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Otago |
| Coordinates | 46°4′20″S 169°46′2″E / 46.07222°S 169.76722°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | April 2011 |
| Commission date | December 2011 |
| Owner(s) | Pioneer Generation |
The Mt Stuart Wind Farm is a special place in New Zealand that uses wind to make electricity. It's like a big outdoor factory that turns wind into power for homes and businesses. This wind farm was built by a company called Pioneer Generation.
You can find the Mt Stuart Wind Farm about 15 kilometres west of a town called Milton. It's located in the Otago region, which is in the South Island of New Zealand.
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What is a Wind Farm?
A wind farm is a group of large wind turbines. These turbines look like giant propellers. They are designed to catch the wind. When the wind blows, it spins the blades of the turbines. This spinning motion then creates electricity. Wind farms are a great way to make clean energy. They don't burn fossil fuels, so they don't pollute the air.
How Mt Stuart Wind Farm Works
The Mt Stuart Wind Farm has nine wind turbines. Each turbine is very tall. The part that spins, called the rotor, is 52 metres wide. That's about the length of four school buses! These turbines are a type called Gamesa G52. They are built to work well in the winds of Otago.
Making Electricity
When the wind spins the turbine blades, it turns a generator inside the turbine. This generator is what actually makes the electricity. All the electricity from the nine turbines is then sent to the power grid. From there, it travels to homes and businesses.
Powering Homes
The Mt Stuart Wind Farm can produce 7.7 MW of electricity. This is enough power to supply many homes. In a year, it can generate about 25.6 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity. That's a lot of clean energy!
Building the Wind Farm
Building a wind farm is a big project. For Mt Stuart Wind Farm, the plans were approved in February 2010. Construction started in April 2011. It took about a year and a half to build all nine turbines. The wind farm officially started making power in December 2012. This shows how much planning and work goes into creating renewable energy sources.
Why Wind Power is Important
Wind power is a type of renewable energy. This means that the source of the energy, which is wind, will never run out. Unlike burning coal or gas, wind power doesn't create harmful pollution. It helps to keep our air clean and fight climate change. Using wind farms like Mt Stuart helps New Zealand get more of its electricity from clean, green sources.
