Australia's First Wind Farm

For my summer vacation, my family and I spent a week in the beautiful town of Esperance, WA. If you have never been there, let me tell you, it is one of the most beautiful places in our lovely country, with sand as white as clouds and crystal-clear water. Another fantastic fact about Esperance is that it was the first town in Australia to have a wind farm! I never realised how massive wind turbines truly were until I saw them up close. They were mesmerising.

In this post, I will explore how Australia's first wind farm was built, its impact on the energy sector, and its legacy in shaping renewable energy today.

During the 1980s, remote areas of Western Australia, such as Esperance, faced issues regarding energy supply and heavily relied on diesel generators, which were expensive and did not align with WA's aim for cleaner energy. Thus, Australia's first wind farm, the Salmon Beach Wind Farm, consisting of 6 turbines, was built in Esperance in 1987 and operated for 15 years. The region's long coastlines and strong wind made it an excellent location to utilise the power of wind energy.

The success of the Salmon Beach Wind Farm laid the foundation for renewable energy in Australia and considerably shifted the country's perspective on the future. Many locals were given viable electricity production, which steered them away from fossil fuels such as diesel generators. Even with its initial small capacity of about 60 kW for each turbine, larger and more efficient wind farms were made after the tremendous success of the Salmon Beach wind farm.

The second wind farm, Ten Mile Lagoon, was built in 1993 and has nine 225kW turbines, a huge improvement from the older machines. The third, Nine Mile Beach, was built in 2006 and has six 600kw Eercon machines, adding to earlier Vestas machines and highlighting technological advances. These wind farms produce 5.6MW of energy, saving around 10,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Visiting Esperance wasn't just about stunning beaches or national parks. I got a glimpse into the history of Australia's first steps towards a renewable future. Learning about the Salmon Beach Wind Farm made me appreciate small towns and how important Esperance was in shaping Australia's clean energy future. If you ever visit Esperance, get to Cape Le Grand National Park, climb Frenchman's Peak, and swim at Twilight Beach. But don't forget the opportunity to learn about the town's incredible impact in shaping Australia's renewable energy future.