Last week we started the first practical module and in December, in Wales, the choice is between Biomass in a nice warm boiler room or Wind and walking on hills. The Welsh weather gods were in a kindly mood, and rewarded the hardy with crisp, clear days, perfect for a morning spent on the hillside at Mynydd Gorddu.

Typical Welsh countryside at Mynydd Gorddu wind farm - green hills, clear blue sky, sheep and turbines

Typical Welsh countryside at Mynydd Gorddu wind farm – green hills, clear blue sky, sheep and turbines

There are 19 Nordtank* machines in the wind farm, 12 at 550kW and another 7 at 600kW. They’re the same machines, but the larger ones have short blade extenders at their hubs to increase the swept area slightly. When we were there, on a clear day with only a light breeze, they were still generating 2.3MW, powering a few hundred homes, or about a thousand kettles, all boiling at once.

*The link is probably for this 600kW machine, but I’m not 100% sure.