Super Eco

Photo credit: Karen Murphy

The Southern Hemisphere's largest wind farm is in New Zealand, and Super Eco was there. Te Apiti, a few miles outside Palmerston North on New Zealand's North Island, is on 1100 hectares of farmland, quietly coexisting with the many sheep of the region. It consists of 55 1.65 MW windmills that together generate enough electricity to power 45,000 homes, or about half of the needs of Palmerston North and surrounding countryside. Neighboring wind farms bring the area's total to 158 rotating turbines.

The wind turbines themselves are amazingly quiet. You can walk directly underneath one and feel the whoosh of the turbine blades that sound like a giant gentle washing machine in slow motion. Sheep graze placidly among the giant metal posts, and from a distance on a clear day the windmills provide a beautiful, futuristic sight up along the ridges of the Ruahine Mountains.

New Zealanders are quite interested in pursuing renewable energy options and wind farms around the country, in general, seem to pose little controversy, even when placed on public lands. In addition, private landowners are encouraged to consider building wind farms on their properties to provide power not only for themselves but for the surrounding communities.

Although reaching nowhere yet near European wind power production proportions, New Zealand wind power seems to be part of the country's future.

[additional photo courtesy of Karen Murphy, lightspring, flickr]