Albany

Albany wind and Grasmere farms are two wind power stations near Albany, Western Australia, owned by Bright Energy Investments. They are adjacent and are often considered a single facility. They have 18 wind turbines, with a maximum generating capacity of 35.4 MW of electricity. The original Albany Wind Farm was commissioned in October 2001, after ten years of planning. The wind farm has the capacity to produce 80 per cent of the electricity requirements of Albany. Originally commissioned in 2001 the farm was the largest of its kind in Australia. The farm originally had 12 wind turbines, with 6 extra turbines installed in 2011 as the Grasmere Wind Farm. The original Albany Wind Farm turbines are ENERCON model E66, each with three 35 metres long blades made from fibreglass and kevlar and are fitted to 65 metres towers. The nose cone which the blades attach to weighs around 14 tonnes. At the time of construction these turbines were the largest installed in the southern hemisphere. The turbines operate automatically, with the three blades adjusted to make best use of power output from any wind direction or strength