West Durham Wind Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids West Durham Wind Farm |
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West Durham Wind Farm
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| Country | England, United Kingdom |
| Location | near Tow Law, County Durham |
| Coordinates | 54°46′05″N 1°49′18″W / 54.7680°N 1.8216°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | May 2009 |
| Owner(s) | ESB Group |
The West Durham Wind Farm is a special place near Tow Law in County Durham, England. It's a wind farm, which means it uses big wind turbines to create clean electricity from the wind. This farm helps power homes and businesses in the area.
History of the Wind Farm
The West Durham Wind Farm was created by a company called the Banks Group, which is based in County Durham. When it was planned, it was going to be the biggest wind farm in North East England.
Building the wind farm started on July 11, 2008. People hoped that once the turbines were working, County Durham would be the first county in England to reach its goal for renewable energy by 2010. The farm officially started making power in May 2009. Later in 2009, a company called the Electricity Supply Board bought the wind farm.
How the Wind Farm Works
The West Durham Wind Farm can produce up to 24 megawatts (MW) of electricity. This is called its nameplate capacity, which is the maximum power it can make.
The farm has twelve large wind turbines. Each of these turbines is made by REpower and is called an MM82 model. Each one can produce 2 MW of power. These turbines were the first of their kind to be supported by special steel poles that are driven deep into the ground.
