Westmill Wind Farm’s success demonstrates that ordinary people can cooperate to achieve what politicians can only talk about

WESTMILL WINDFARM - FIRST
 PUBLIC OPEN DAY - 11AM-4PM

FREE ENTRY FOR CYCLISTS AND WALKERS - £1 FOR CARS - INFORMATIVE AND FUN!

WORLD RECORD TURBINE-HUGGING ATTEMPT AT 2PM!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT OUT POSTER

The turbines are maintained and insured throughout their working life, which is expected to be for the 25 years of the planning consent.

Funding of the £7.6m project is from a public share issue and a loan from the Co-op bank allowing local ownership of the site and maximising the social, environmental and economic benefits to the area.

DIRECTIONS TO WESTMILL WINDFARM

Westmill is the first wind farm in the South East of England and the first 100% community owned scheme in the UK from commissioning. The five turbines produce pollution-free electricity for over 2,500 average homes.

The wind farm consists of five towers 49 metres high, topped by a nacelle containing the generator, gearbox and other operating equipment. Each generator is driven by a three-bladed propeller, with each blade measuring 31 metres.

The electricity generated is conveyed by underground cable to a sub-station, where it is be metered and fed into the local grid. Crop farming continues as before with planting taking place right up to the base of the towers.

The blades start turning when the wind speed at hub-height reaches 3 to 5 m/s. At very high wind speeds the blades stop rotating to prevent damage.

We've used the wind as an energy source for a long time. The Babylonians and Chinese were using wind power to pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and sailing boats were around long before that. Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind corn, which is where the term "windmill" comes from.