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Waitati Wind Turbine Site Visits
Assigned to:
Scott Willis
Task is completed:
Completed
Community Wind Turbine Feasibility
Co-ordinate and carry out 3 preliminary site visits with professionals.
Thursday 11 August.
Group will include
1. Lindsay Eaves (Windflow Technology Limited)
2. Nic Cullen (Climatologist, OU Geography lecturer)
3. Alice Bowden (MSc Student measuring wind flow and assessing wind potential for Waitati)
4. Scott Willis (Waitati Energy Project Co-ordinator)
We'll visit both testing station sites (Site One - Mopanui; Site Two - Double Hill Rd) and visit a third promising site without data collection as yet (Site Three - Double Hill).
(Note: Nic Cullen was unable to make it, however Alice Bowden and Seth and Lydia from Nic's Geog380 group who have been recording weather data at the two monitored sites over the last 2 months, were all able to be present. We were also met by Bill Currie and Wayne O'Hara of Powerhouse Wind, and visited their prototype 'Thinair' turbine, and Bill accompanied us to Site One near Mopanui.)
Waitati Site visits: complete
The group and format changed slightly, however a very successful day.
Lindsay from Windflow arrived in Waitati, and found the WEP/Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust office reasonably easily.
After an informal lunch with myself, Karan (BRCT office administrator) and Lindsay, we went to visit the Powerhouse Wind 'Thin-air' prototype, where Bill Currie and Wayne O'Hara of PHW were waiting.
We were met there by Seth and Lydia of Nicolas Cullen's GEOG380 group, and Alice Bowden, Nic's MSc Masters student looking at wind in Waitati.
From there we proceeded to Site One, near Mopanui, and identified another potential testing site (to be explored with interested parties).
We then went to Site Two (Double Hill Rd).
Our final stop was (potential) Site Three (Double Hill) where apart from getting the 4WD stuck (!) we had a very profitable survey of this and surrounding wind resources.
The wind at Site Three was ideal, the site perfect except for the proximity of one house.
The day ended with Lindsay and I discussing the Windflow Technology and Waitati Energy Project relationship, other potential sites, other community initiatives similar in focus, other issues related to developing distributed generation in the NZ context.
An extremely productive day and thank you to all who contributed and especially to Lindsay for being so generous with time and offers of support.