South Australia has world-class wind resources that have attracted significant large scale renewable energy investment.
Harnessing energy from wind involves the use of a turbine to convert air motion into electricity. The turbine has several spinning blades attached to an electro-magnetic generator that produces electricity when the wind causes the blades to spin.
The State Government has streamlined planning and approvals processes to ensure projects are not delayed by regulatory processes.
There is over 1,800 MW in installed capacity in wind farms in South Australia, comprised of the following projects:
| Developer | Wind Farm | Inst. Cap (MW) |
|---|---|---|
| AGL Hydro Partnership | Hallett 2 | 71.4 |
| AGL Hydro Partnership | Wattle Point | 90.8 |
| AGL SA Generation Pty Limited | Hallett 1 | 94.5 |
| AGL SA Generation Pty Limited | North Brown Hill | 132.3 |
| AGL SA Generation Pty Limited | The Bluff | 52.5 |
| Canunda Power Pty Ltd | Canunda | 46 |
| Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm Pty Ltd | Cathedral Rocks | 66 |
| HWF1 Pty Ltd | Hornsdale | 102.4 |
| HWF2 Pty Ltd | Hornsdale 2 | 102.4 |
| HWF2 Pty Ltd | Hornsdale 3 | 112 |
| Lake Bonney Wind Power Pty Ltd | Lake Bonney | 80.5 |
| Lake Bonney Wind Power Pty Ltd | Lake Bonney Stage 2 | 159 |
| Lake Bonney Wind Power Pty Ltd | Lake Bonney Stage 3 | 39 |
| Mt Millar Wind Farm Pty Ltd | Mt Millar | 70 |
| Pacific Hydro Clements Gap Pty Ltd | Clements Gap | 57 |
| Snowtown Wind Farm Pty Ltd | Snowtown Units 1 to 47 | 99 |
| Snowtown Wind Farm Stage 2 Pty Ltd | Snowtown South | 126 |
| Snowtown Wind Farm Stage 2 Pty Ltd | Snowtown Stage 2 North | 144 |
| Starfish Hill Wind Farm Pty Ltd | Starfish Hill | 34.5 |
| Waterloo Wind Farm Pty Ltd | Waterloo | 111 |
| Waterloo Wind Farm Pty Ltd | Waterloo | 19.8 |
A range of reports about electricity generation, consumption, demand and forecasting in South Australia have been prepared by the Australian Energy Market Operator for the South Australian Government.
More information about how wind energy works and its place in the energy supply chain can be found at Student Energy.