Carno wind farm

Carno is a wind farm of 68 turbines which started operation in October 1996. It covers an area of over 600 hectares on Trannon Moor, a plateau to the west of the village of Carno in Powys, Mid Wales, 400 m above sea level.

Carno currently has the largest production capacity in Wales.

Specification
Originally consisting of 56 wind turbines each of 600 kilowatts (kW) maximum output, the combined maximum power of 33.6 megawatts (MW) made Carno the largest Wind Farm in Europe at the time of its construction. The total project cost was approximately £26 million.

Information:
 * Number of turbines: 56 (extended to 68 with Carno 2 in 2008)
 * Turbine manufacturer: Bonus Energy A/S, Denmark
 * Turbine rating: 600 kW.
 * Combined maximum power: 33.6MW
 * Tower height to hub: 31.5 m
 * Blade number and diameter: 3 blades, each 44 m long
 * Annual production: 90 million units
 * Wildlife information: 37 species of birds. 512 species of insects & spiders, including one Red Data Book entry, the nationally scarce Trechus rivularis ground beetle.
 * Archaeological features: Bronze Age cairns, standing stones and a possible Roman road crossing from east to west.

Public footpaths cross the site and are waymarked on Ordnance Survey maps.

In 2008, an extension designated "Carno 2" was completed, bringing the total number of turbines to 68, comprising 12 new Siemens 1.3MW wind turbines with a hub height of 49 m, blade length of 30 m and rotor diameter of 62 m giving a tip height of 80 m.