Dell Wind Farm
Site Location
The site location is shown here.
In August 2019, an application to build and operate Dell Wind Farm was consented following an appeal to the Scottish Ministers. The wind farm has now been re-designed at the same location to improve efficiency, accommodate current technology and increase capacity and energy capture with fewer wind turbines.
Why Dell?
Coriolis Energy have identified the propsed development site as having good potential for a wind farm for the following key reasons:
- A very good wind resource suitable for a commercial wind farm.
- Remote location and area proposed for wind turbines is a substantial distance (over 3 km) from residential properties.
- Absence of statutory designated sites/features on the site
- Access to the site from existing roads and harbour infrastructure
What is currently being proposed?
Number of turbines: Up to 9
Maximum height of turbines: up to 200m to blade tip
Capacity of each turbine: around 6MW
The wind turbine layout is available to view here.
The original proposal comprised of 14 turbines (4 turbines of 115.5m to tip and 10 turbines of 130.5m to tip).
In addition to the turbines, important infrastructure such as an onsite substation, access tracks and underground cabling form key components of the proposed wind farm. The potential for energy storage is also being evaluated.
Why a re-design of the existing consented wind farm ?
- Changes in turbine design and our ability to generate efficiently from Dell since the original application was submitted in July 2014. Whilst site constraints and design rationale remain similar, these technological changes allow a significantly more efficient scheme to be proposed on the same site envelope.
- Our proposed updated scoping layout of up to 9 turbines now provides approximately 30% improvement in energy capture with the use of fewer, larger, turbines. An approximate 25% reduction in turbine numbers accompanies an approximate 40% increase in tip height.
The wind farm development re-design also offers:
- No change in the extent of the original development area
- Less turbines with an associated reduction in turbine movements and fewer abnormal loads
- Limited visual impact from the re-designed wind farm development on local settlements and certain key visual receptors owing both to the design and the nature of the terrain
Site Access and Traffic
- Abnormal loads are likely to be delivered from Inverness Harbour. Access to the site from the port is currently being assessed
- Communities involved will be fully consulted and the route is being assessed in consultation with Transport Scotland and The Highland Council.
- The proposed access from the B862 to the site will follow the consented route although some of the track might require upgrades to account for the larger turbines.
- Regular liaison meetings will be held during the construction of the wind farm with community representatives