A Trip To The Wind Farm

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The Vermilion 4-H beef club had a tour of the Enel Wind Farm on May 14. The majority of the members attended the tour. We all split into two groups to tour the turbine and learn about the safety equipment. We learned many new things about turbines and electricity and a lot about all the tools they use to build the turbines. This farm has 34 towers in wind turbine park with 6 feeders. There are 31 - V150 and 3-V136. This describes the distance from tip to tip of the blades. 

Each turbine is about 400m tall which is approximately nine school buses parked bumper to bumper or 71 people standing on each other’s shoulders tall. Each blade is 73m long. 

The kids got the opportunity to stand in the base of the tower and see the controls. They were very excited for this opportunity. It was very windy so when we stood outside and looked up, it looked like the towers were really swaying. They are built out of fibreglass so they have more flexibility than steel. 

There are over 100-50lb bolts at the base of each tower holding them in place. 

This wind farm alone has the ability to power the city of Lloydminster! 

Prior to construction there are many hours put in watching and studying avian migration patterns to avoid unnecessary deaths. After construction there is intensive monitoring to ensure there are minimal dead animals found at the base. 

When it gets too windy they derate to avoid spinning too fast and damaging them.

The blades are self regulating so they can run at a constant speed. 

The experience was very educational and the club wants to thank Enel for their continued support of the Vermilion 4H Beef Club and giving us the opportunity to see the turbines.