Wind Farm's New Turbines to Power 7.8k Homes

Three new turbines should be in action generating electricity this week as the UK's first commercial wind farm enters its second generation.

Delabole wind farm owners, Good Energy, switched on the first of the new wind turbines last Tuesday at its Delabole wind farm development. A second was due to be switched on at the weekend and a third should be generating power in the near future.

The machines, which are twice the height of the former turbines, with towers reaching 64 metres (210ft) high in three sections, were brought over from Germany, and will produce more than two and a half times the energy as the former turbines, saving 13,708 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

By the end of this year the wind farm is expected to be generating enough power for roughly 7,800 homes (9.2MW), marking a new era for renewable energy generation at Good Energy, the UK's only dedicated renewable electricity supplier, and for onshore wind in Great Britain.

The new Enercon machines have been under construction through the autumn, with three now completed and ready to start exporting energy to the grid.

Juliet Davenport, founder and CEO of Good Energy, expressed to Southwest Business: "Delabole wind farm is a fantastic example of home-grown energy. We are excited to be taking Delabole into its second generation of onshore wind power. The increased capacity of the new turbines serves to illustrate how successful innovation in this field has been over the last two decades. With projects like this, the UK moves ever closer to a 100 per cent renewable future."