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The Brooklyn wind turbine is situated atop a hill in Brooklyn, on the outskirts of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington. From the hilltop, one can peer out on the horizon for an impressive view of the harbor and city center.
Installed in 1993 as part of a research project, it is the oldest operating wind turbine in New Zealand. The site was chosen due to "Windy Wellington's" consistently strong wind patterns. In fact, the turbine has endured some of the highest winds of any operational wind turbine in the world for the past 12 years.
It is operated by Meridian Energy, a New Zealand company dedicated to generating electricity using only renewable energy sources. The experimental wind turbine has been important for shaping the company's plans for installing other wind turbine projects in New Zealand and Australia.
In 2004, Meridian completed an impressive 55-turbine project called Te Apiti in the Manawatu Gorge, 10km north of the city Palmerston North. It provides apprimately 1% of New Zealand's energy needs. And recently, the company announced a proposal called "West Wind," a 70-turbine wind farm west of Wellington. The site would supply approximately 2% of New Zealand's energy consumption.
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