Whitelee Wind Farm is UK’s largest onshore wind farm. The farm is 20 minutes away from Glasgow, Scotland. The city, Scotland’s second-largest city, is 15 kilometers North of the wind farm.
The wind farm opened to the public in 2009. Since then, it has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, families, and tourists. The wind farm offers a visitor center and maintains outdoor trails for the public.
The wind farm is a pioneer in the renewable energy industry of Europe. Whitelee Wind Farm is Europe’s second largest onshore wind farm after the Fântânele-Cogealac Wind Farm, a Romanian wind farm with 600 MW of wind power capacity.
Ownership of Whitelee Wind Farm
ScottishPower Renewables, a subsidiary of the Iberdrola Group, owns the project.
Location of the Wind Farm
The main entrance is at Eaglesham Moor Road, East Renfrewshire, near the location of the visitor center. The road extends into East Ayshire and South Lanarkshire–the location of many wind turbines.
How many windmills does Whitelee Wind Farm have?
The wind farm has 215 turbines across its area of 80 square kilometers. The project is also the first wind farm located near a densely populated city. As of 2020 estimates, Glasgow has a population of 635,240.
Commissioning of the Project
In May 2009, ScottishPower Renewables commissioned the project with only 140 turbines. Eventually, the developer grew the wind farm with two expansion projects in the second half of 2009 that pushed the capacity to 539 MW and 215 turbines.
Wind Power Capacity of the Farm
The wind farm has 539 MW of installed capacity which can power 350,000 households in the UK. The wind farm reached this capacity after two expansion projects in 2009.
ScottishPower Renewables used Siemens and Alstom for the turbine brands on the farm. Siemens supplied 140 turbines, and Alstom provided the remaining 75 turbines.
Whitelee Wind Farm Visitor Center
The Whitelee Windfarm visitor centre is in the East Renfrewshire Council. The entrance is along Moor Road near Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire.
The center has an education hub, cafe, and interactive visual room.
A car park with free parking, free entry, and limited slots for disabled parking are some benefits of dropping by the visitor center. For electric car owners, a charging station is available free of charge.
The highly rated Glasgow Science Center manages the visitor center.
Gold Award for Green Tourism
The wind farm received the Gold Award for Green Tourism Scheme from Green Tourism. This award shows the commitment of the farm to sustain eco-friendly practices in its tourism operations.
The eco-friendly activities of the farm include locally sourcing its materials and suppliers for cakes, coffee, and food. The waste is also significantly reduced through best practices.
Outdoor Pursuits
The fresh air in the wind farm makes walking and cycling enjoyable for nature enthusiasts.
Furthermore, nature trails are also available for tourists to navigate and explore. The nature trails are 130 kilometers long across the site. If you want to get up close, for a small fee, you can enjoy a bus tour and see a close view of the turbines.
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Whitelee Countryside ranger service is also on-site to promote responsible use and access to the farm. ScottishPower Renewables fully funds two full-time countryside rangers on the site to benefit the community.
To check the map of the farm, click here.
Community Effort
The community established the Whitelee Access Planning Group in 2006 as a stakeholder group. The group has a quarterly meeting to monitor developments in and around the farm. The following make up the Whitelee Access Planning Group:
- East Renfrewshire Council
- South Lanarkshire Council
- East Ayrshire Council
- ScottishPower Renewables
- Forestry and Land Scotland
- Eaglesham and Waterfoot Community Council
- Glasgow Science Centre