Wind power constitutes a small but growing proportion of New Zealand's electricity. As of November 2023, wind power accounts for 1,059 MW of installed capacity and over 6 percent of electricity generated in the country.[1]
New Zealand has abundant wind resources. The country is in the path of the Roaring Forties, strong and constant westerly winds, and the funneling effect of Cook Strait and the Manawatū Gorge increase the resource's potential. Over three-quarters (512 MW) of the country's wind generation is installed within a 150 km (93 mi) radius of Palmerston North, with some turbines in the area having a capacity factor of over 50 percent.[2]
- ^ "Wind power sets new records". Electricity Authority. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Bradley, Grant Bradley, Grant (7 June 2011). "Wellington winds too windy for wind farm". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
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