FAQs

How much space do wind turbines require?

The wind is a diffuse form of energy, in common with many renewable sources. The space a wind farm requires depends on the size of the turbines and the specific site conditions. A rough guideline for the required space is 10 MW per 1 km2, but only 2-3% of the land area would be occupied by the turbines and access tracks. The remainder can be used for other purposes, such as farming or as natural habitat.

If we wanted to replace our current coal and gas fired electricity production by wind generation we would need to install about 2.700 MW. So the installed wind turbines would extend over about 270 km2 (0.1% of New Zealand’s land area). Less than 3% (8.1 km2 ) of this area would be used for foundations and access roads, the other 99% could still be used for productive farming.

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