40% extra green electricity

Why alter the windfarm design?

We need to generate much more green electricity to address the pressing issues of climate change and future energy shortages. This can be achieved through more windfarms, or from better optimisation of exsiting windfarm sites. New developments in wind turbine technology allow much more energy to be gained. Up to 40% extra energy could be obtained from Maerdy Windfarm without a single extra turbine.

Movements of some of the turbines and raising the height would avoid the more turbulent wind zones on the site, leading to more reliable and more efficient turbines.

What are the benefits?

1. Up to 40% more energy, 40% larger community funds and 40% more business rates raised.
2. Reduced maintenance, turbine stoppages, and need to re-visit the site with cranes etc.
3. 25% slower turbines, consitency with adjacent proposals, less stationery periods
4. 200m less track needed, reduced stream crossings, better positions to avoid the bog, plus additional measures to reclaim the degraded bog on the site,

Wouldn't the larger turbines create a bigger environmental impact?

The footprint of the windfarm on the ground hardly changes. So impacts on ecology, archaeology, etc are not significantly different.

The turbines are being moved toward the centre of the site away from the ridge edge by 140m (7 times the height increase).

This means the view from the valley below is practically the same. This plan below shows how little the visibility of the windfarm changes, with tiny reductions and increases in visibility. The change in visibility can be seen on the visualisations. More information on the reasons for the proposals and the environmental assessments are available in the planning documnents.