Tilt Renewables has been given the greenlight for construction of the Palmer wind plant following hitches with previous designs for the project. The 288 MW Palmer Wind plant is located 50 kilometers east of Adelaide in Australia. 40 turbines will be put up with a maximum tip height of 220 metres in between the townships of Pamer and Tungkillo. The project had previously been approved for construction but faced challenges due to the size of the turbines and the amount of space they would take. Tilt Renewables then presented a new design for the project that involved taller turbines which would take less space to the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) who approved the project.
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Details on the Palmer Wind Plant
Palmer Wind plant will have the capacity to provide electricity to the equivalent of 142,000 homes for the next three decades. Additionally, the project will avoid an estimated 212,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emission each year. Initially, the project which was proposed in 2014, had a total of 114 turbines in the proposal. The number has reduced the project area by over 5,000 hectares according to Tilt CEO Anthony Fowler.
“The area surrounding Palmer is a good location for a wind farm with a great wind resource. What’s more, proximity to the existing electricity grid and a location on cleared farmland where grazing can co-exist,” he said.
Project Overview
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Project Capacity: 288 MW
Developers: Tilt Renewables
Number of turbines: 40
Furthermore, the project is expected to have a AUD$7 million community benefit fund. It will support energy subsidies, education and local health services. Moreover, AUD$627.5 million will be invested in local employment and Australian/New Zealand industries through the project. This is the second South Australian wind project this week to get the go ahead on a long-ago-proposed wind project with an updated plan involving fewer turbines and larger capacity. Barn Hill Solar project recently was approved for 62 turbines and around 150 MW in capacity. The new design will have up to 50 larger turbines with a vastly increased capacity of up to 360 MW.
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