Hopetoun's Wind-Diesel System

Hopetoun, on the south coast of WA, has a wind-diesel system comprising of two wind turbines and a low-load diesel power station.

The wind turbines supply up to 40% of the town’s annual electricity requirement. This saves approximately 700,000 litres of diesel fuel and avoids the production of about 1,850 tonnes of greenhouse gases per annum which equates to taking 500 cars off the road.

Hopetoun’s Enercon E-40 wind turbines are the same as the wind turbines at the Nine-Mile Beach Wind Farm in Esperance.

This will result in green renewable energy contributing a larger portion of Hopetoun’s electricity supply. Importantly, it will also mean greater reductions in diesel fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

The turbine’s specifications are:

Peak generation capacity - 600kW (enough to power 6,000 100W light globes)
Tower height - 46m
Three blades - each 22m long (giving a total height of the structure of almost 70m)
Rotor speed - 18 - 34 revolutions per minute
Blade tip speed - 41 - 78 metres per second (148 km/h - 281 km/h)
Cut-in wind speed - 2.5 metres per second (9 km/h)
Cut-out wind speed - 28 - 34 metres per second (101kmh - 122 km/h).

This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program. The Program is implemented by the State’s Sustainable Energy Development Office in Western Australia.

Did you know?

Hopetoun’s wind turbines are Enercon E-40s - the same as the wind turbines at the Nine-Mile Beach Wind Farm in Esperance.

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