Ambewela
Ambewela
அம்பேவளை අඹේවෙල | |
|---|---|
 Hills and grasslands at Ambewela. | |
  Ambewela | |
| Coordinates:06°53′53″N80°48′08″E/ 6.89806°N 80.80222°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Central Province |
| District | Nuwara_Eliya |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30(Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
Ambewela(Sinhala:අඹේවෙල,romanized:Am̆bēvela;Tamil:அம்பேவளை,romanized:Ampēvaḷai) is a village, and ahill station,located in theNuwara Eliya DistrictofSri Lanka.The area is also sometimes called "Little New Zealand". The town is approximately 17 km (11 mi)south-eastof the district capitalNuwara Eliya.Ambewela is also a service centre for the New Galway tea planting district.
Climate and vegetation
[edit]Due to the high altitude of 6,064 ft (1,848 m), the mean annual temperature in the area is below 17.5 °C (63.5 °F), whilefrostis common duringwinter.Ambewela is popular for being the highest (in altitude) and widestgrasslandin Sri Lanka.[1]Mammalssuch as theSambar DeerandLeoparddominate the majority of theforest coveraround the area.
Ambewela is situated en route to theHorton Plains National Parkand is famous for scenic landscapes,Rhododendron arboreumflowers, and the World's End, which is a 1,219 m (3,999 ft) deepcliff.Similar to Horton Plains andOhiya,this site is also one of theImportant Bird Areasof Sri Lanka, making the area a popular location forbirdwatchingas well.[2]
Importance and economic activities
[edit]The climatic and economic conditions in Ambewela make it an ideal location fordairy farming,hence the country's only milk powder factory is situated in this area. The two animal husbandries,Ambewela Farm and New Zealand Farm,haveAyrshire cattleandFriesian cowsrespectively.[3]
Potential for wind energy developments
[edit]
The geographic location and altitude of Ambewela expose the site to strongSouthwest Monsoons,with winds occasionally reaching over 12 m/s (39 ft/s), making the area a favourable location forwind farmsand otherwind energydevelopments. As the site is only used forlivestock developmentand similar activities, the site is also an economical zone for erecting turbines, since cattle usually are not affected bywind turbines.These factors have attracted many local and international developers.
In 2003, the area was studied in a collaborative project between theCeylon Electricity BoardandNREL.The study revealed that the wind resource at the site is favourable only during the Southwest Monsoon, which is only a small period per year, and that theNortheast Monsoonsdoes not reach the area due to its extreme altitude.
Transportation of equipment such as wind turbines is also a very significant challenge due to the extreme logistical conditions to access the site. The study revealed that transporting turbines larger than 600KWto the site would be a near-impossible task. The study also revealed that ignoring this issue and constructing wind farms with turbines smaller than 600KW would be extremely uneconomical to the developer.
Transport
[edit]- Located on the intersection of the B512 (Nuwara Eliyato Horton Plains Road) and the B507 (Ambewela to Rendapola Road)
- Ambewela railway station - is the second highest railway station in Sri Lanka, at 1,827.77 m (5,996.6 ft) above sea level. It is located on theMain Linebetween theNanu OyaandPerakumpurarailway stations, in theNuwara Eliya District,Central Province.
- Main Road
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Ambewela".alawathugoda.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-02-16.Retrieved2008-10-13.
- ^"IBAs in Sri Lanka".birdlife.org.BirdLife International.Retrieved2 December2009.
- ^"Ambewela Farms".stassengroup.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-16.Retrieved2008-10-13.
External links
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