Te Apiti Wind Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Te Apiti Wind Farm |
|
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Ruahine Ranges, north-east of Palmerston North, Manawatū-Whanganui |
| Coordinates | 40°17′46″S 175°48′30″E / 40.29611°S 175.80833°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | November 2003 |
| Commission date | December 2004 |
| Owner(s) | Meridian Energy |
| Website Te Apiti Wind Farm - Meridian Energy |
|
Te Apiti is a large wind farm in New Zealand. It is owned and run by a company called Meridian Energy. The wind farm covers about 11.5 square kilometers of land. You can find it north of the Manawatu Gorge on the North Island.
This wind farm can make 90.75 megawatts (MW) of electricity. For a while, it was the biggest wind farm in New Zealand. This changed in September 2007 when the nearby Tararua Wind Farm grew even larger.
The Te Apiti wind farm cost about $100 million to build. It has 55 giant turbines. Each turbine can create 1.65 MW of power. This adds up to the total of 90.75 MW. Each turbine stands on a tower that is 70 meters tall. They each have three blades, and each blade is 35 meters long.
Contents
Why is Te Apiti a Good Spot for a Wind Farm?
The area near the Manawatu Gorge is perfect for wind farms. This is because of the mountains there. The Tararua and Ruahine Ranges act like a big wall. They block the strong westerly winds that blow across New Zealand.
Between these two mountain ranges, there is a lower set of hills. These hills help to guide and speed up the wind. This creates a natural "wind tunnel." Another company, TrustPower, also has a wind farm on the other side of the Manawatu Gorge.
How Te Apiti Helps the Environment
The Te Apiti wind farm also helps to reduce carbon pollution. In 2005, a bank from Britain bought special "carbon credits" from Meridian Energy. These credits meant that the wind farm helped to reduce 125,000 tonnes of carbon. Meridian Energy also sold 530,000 tonnes of carbon credits to the Dutch government.
These carbon credits came from a program that encouraged clean energy. The New Zealand Government gave these credits to Meridian Energy. This was to encourage them to build power sources that do not create carbon pollution.
By 2007, New Zealand had wind turbines that could make 321 MW of power. More wind farms were also being built.
How Electricity Gets to Your Home
Te Apiti was the first wind farm in New Zealand to connect directly to the main power grid. The main power grid is like a huge network of wires that carries electricity across the country. It is run by a company called Transpower. Other wind farms before Te Apiti connected to the grid through smaller local power lines.
The electricity from the 55 turbines at Te Apiti travels through 48 kilometers of underground cables. These cables lead to a special building called the Te Apiti substation. At the substation, the electricity's voltage is increased to 110 kilovolts (kV). This higher voltage makes it easier to send the power over long distances.
A 4.5-kilometer power line then connects the wind farm to Transpower's main substation in Woodville. From there, the electricity joins the national grid and can be sent to homes and businesses.
Virtual Field Trip to Te Apiti
In April 2008, an online education program called LEARNZ visited the Te Apiti Wind Farm. This was a "virtual field trip." More than 1500 school students from New Zealand joined the trip with their teacher, Darren.
During the trip, students could talk to the wind farm staff over the phone. Two of these phone calls even happened while Darren and Meridian staff were high up on top of a 70-meter tall wind turbine!
