Twin Groves Wind Farm
Description
The Twin Groves Wind Farm lies in eastern McLean County just east of Bloomington on Illinois State Route 9. The wind farm consists of 240 Vestas 1.65 MW wind turbines and is owned and operated by EDP Renewables North America. Total cost of Twin Groves was approximately $700 million. The towers are spread out over 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) of McLean County, near the villages of Arrowsmith, Ellsworth, and Saybrook. The current total capacity at Twin Groves Wind Farm is 398 megawatts. The site produces enough power to power about 120,000 homes, or approximately 1.3 billion kilowatt hours annually.
Revenue
Between 150–200 acres (60.7–80.9 ha), or 1%, of the total 22,000 acres will be taken up by the turbines. Royalties are paid to owners of the land at $5,000 per wind turbine. The wind farm pays property taxes, of which Ridgeview School District will start collecting $300,000 a year, while Tri-Valley School District will collect between $200,000-$250,000 a year.
Future
With 240 wind turbines already generating power, the project owner is considering an additional 170 wind turbines, to bring the total number of turbines to 410. Test wind turbines are being placed in eastern McLean County to determine if additional wind turbines can be supported. If constructed, power capacity estimates for the wind farm increase from 396 megawatts to 680 megawatts.
Electricity production
Year | Twin Groves I High Trail Wind Farm (198 MW) |
Twin Groves II Old Trail Wind Farm (198 MW) |
Total Annual MW·h |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | 324,962 | - | 324,962 |
2008 | 635,776 | 579,235 | 1,215,011 |
2009 | 570,571 | 579,853 | 1,150,424 |
2010 | 549,674 | 565,168 | 1,114,842 |
2011 | 590,569 | 598,433 | 1,189,002 |
2012 | 589,634 | 604,896 | 1,194,530 |
2013 | 579,021 | 588,592 | 1,167,613 |
2014 | 582,524 | 585,864 | 1,168,388 |
2015 | 592,258 | 604,310 | 1,196,568 |
2016 | 541,774 | 565,513 | 1,107,287 |
2017 | 586,815 | 616,625 | 1,203,440 |
2018 | 527,035 | 553,138 | 1,080,173 |
Average Annual Production (years 2008–2018) ---> | 1,162,480 | ||
Average Capacity Factor (years 2008–2018) ---> | 33.5% |
See also
References
- ^ "Welcome to Horizon Wind Energy". Horizonwind.com. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ "Indian Creek Newsletter". Frontiernet.net. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ Later in 2008, the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in neighboring Indiana surpassed Twin Groves with 400 MW of installed nameplate capacity.
- ^ Lynn, Greg (2009-02-25). "Wind Farming in Illinois". Peoria Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "Wind energy comes to McLean - Online Exclusives". Media.www.dennews.com. 2006-11-13. Archived from the original on 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Welcome to Horizon Wind Energy". Horizonwind.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ "View". redOrbit. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ National Wind Watch, Inc. (2007-05-30). "Twin Groves Wind Farm may add 170 towers". Wind Watch. Archived from the original on May 24, 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ "Twin Groves Wind Farm may add 170 towers". Pantagraph.com. 2007-05-30. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ "High Trail Wind, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Old Trail Wind, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
External links
- Video of turbines in action (requires Adobe Flash)
- Twin Groves Wind Farm official site
- Prairie Fire: Twin Groves Wind Farm (WILL-TV)