Six new wind turbines are being put up in Cornwall as part of a £12 million project to create the most powerful wind farm in the South West.

The new 107-metre (350ft) high turbines at Goonhilly Downs on the Lizard Peninsula will replace 14 existing 25-metre (82ft) high machines at the site.

The current output is about 9,000 megawatt hours – the new machines will boost it to almost 30,000.

When the work by Cornwall Light and Power is complete the new turbines will be capable of generating enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes. All electricity will go into the local wires which serve the Lizard, Helston and the surrounding areas.

The 14 original machines were installed in 1993 and are coming to the end of their 20-year working life. Figures from the current site said that the old turbines generated electricity on 98 per cent of days during their time there.

The new turbines are rated to be five times as powerful. It is estimated that there have been a total of 240 million revolutions per turbine and more than 3 billion revolutions for the whole wind farm since it became operational.

Although the top of the new blades will be a little over twice the height of the existing ones, they will capture three times more energy. The site therefore will have less than half the number of turbines, but its output will treble. Work is expected to be completed by the end of September, with the first electricity beginning to power local homes then.

The old turbines will be sold for about £30,000 each.

Source – thisiscornwall.co.uk

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