Windy Hill Wind Farm


Windy Hill Wind Farm is a wind power station near Ravenshoe on the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia. Windy Hill has 20 wind turbines with a generating capacity of 12 MW of electricity, providing enough power for about 3,500 homes. The cost of the project was A$20 million. It was the second wind farm to be constructed in Queensland after the 0.45Mw station on Thursday Island.
The power station was commissioned in 2000 and was initially operated by the Stanwell Corporation. In December 2007 Windy Hill was sold to Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund as part of Queensland Government's ClimateSmart 2050 strategy. A new substation was built to allow the wind farm's power to connect to the existing 66 kV transmission line. RATCH-Australia bought TSIF in 2011.

Wind turbines

The construction contractor for the wind farm was Powercorp, based in Darwin. The wind turbines are located on private land which continues to be used as a dairy farm. Each tower is 44 metres high. The turbines used at the facility are Enercon E40. They can rotate at speeds between 14 rpm to 38 rpm. Power from the turbines is carried by underground cable to the electricity grid.