Turbines: 215
Homes powered: 350,000
Generating capacity: 539 MW

Operated by ScottishPower Renewables, Whitelee is the UK's largest onshore windfarm, located on Eaglesham Moor just 20 minutes from central Glasgow. Its 215 turbines generate up to 539 megawatts of electricity, enough to power over 350,000 homes*.

With more than 130 kilometres of trails to explore, on foot, by cycle or by horse, with free parking and free entry to our onsite Visitor Centre, Whitelee is a great destination for a day out with the whole family.

*Based on the following calculation: 539MW (installed capacity) x 0.2662 “onshore wind” average load factor (Digest of UK Energy Statistics) x 8760 hours (hours per year) / 3578 KWh (average domestic annual consumption) = 351,286 homes powered equivalent.

Whitelee Windfarm originally consisted of 140 turbines and was commissioned in 2008, later opened to the public in 2009. Since then, the windfarm has undergone two phases of extensions with the Phase 1 extension adding 36 turbines to the development, followed by Phase 2 adding a further 39 turbines creating the current total of 215 turbines and a generation capacity of 539MW.

With the original 140 turbines being commissioned in 2008, Whitelee Windfarm celebrated its 15th year in operation in 2023.

Prior to the windfarm being constructed, the land was a mixture of woods, farmland and farm roads, and tracks used by the forestry commission. Now the land is a haven for wildlife, a renewable energy generation hub, and an educational visitor centre thanks to ScottishPower's work with Glasgow Science Centre.

Whitelee BESS

As well as our windfarm, Whitelee is also home to Whitelee Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), and has been operational since late 2022. The BESS uses lithium-ion battery technology; the same type of battery used in a smartphone.

Comprising 50MW of energy storage capacity it's the largest windfarm battery in the UK and has the equivalent energy storage capacity of almost 4 million smartphones, and similarly, is capable of achieving full charge in around an hour.

KeyFacts Energy: ScottishPower Renewables UK country profile    l   KeyFacts Energy: Projects Database