FAQsWhat is the difference between a windmill and a wind turbine? Windmills produce mechanical energy to pump water or grind grain, similar to the water wheel. In contrast, wind turbines produce electrical energy for a clean and safe environment. How tall are the wind turbines? The total height of the tower and blades is 328 feet. The height of the tower is approximately 213 feet and each blade is 113 feet long. How big is the wind turbine? These are very large units. The diameter of the towers is 13.5 feet at the base and 8.5 feet at the top. Each tower has three sections including the base which contains the electrical control cabinet. The rotor assembly is diameter (the sweep of the blades) is 231 feet. The weight of the nacelle (the portion at the top of the tower which holds the generator) is 56 tons. The weight of the entire turbine (tower, nacelle, and generators) is 190 tons. How is the top of the tower accessed? Access to the top of the tower and the machinery in the nacelle is by vertical ladder inside the tower. How much cable is buried underground? There is 6.6 miles of buried electrical cable at the Fenner Wind Farm. Who owns the wind turbines? The wind turbines are owned by ENEL Green Power North America. They maintain a full time maintenance crew at the Fenner Wind Farm site. ENEL leases the land the turbines are on from 14 individual land owners who negotiated their lease agreements directly with the development company. How fast does the wind have to blow for the wind turbines to generate electricity? The turbines will start producing electricity when the wind speed reaches 7 MPH. The average wind speed at the Fenner Wind Farm is 17.7 MPH. The optimum wind speed for these units to produce electricity is 26 MPH. The maximum wind speed for power generation is 50 MPH. When the wind speed reaches 50 MPH the blades are feathered to allow the wind to pass by without turning the rotor. |