Bear Creek Wind Power Project
Encyclopedia
The Bear Creek Wind Power Project is a wind farm
located in Bear Creek Township less than ten miles southeast of Wilkes-Barre
in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
with 12 Gamesa 2.0 MW wind turbine
s that began commercial operation in February 2006. The wind farm
has a combined total nameplate capacity of 24 MW, but actually produces about 75,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. Bear Creek usually operates at roughly a 30% capacity factor
until the winter months when winds are stronger and it runs near 70 percent capacity. The wind energy facility is located in the Pocono Mountain region of Northeastern Pennsylvania
, less than 10 miles southeast of Wilkes-Barre
near the village of Bear Creek
. Construction of the wind farm was made possible by commitments from PPL Energy Plus
to purchase the output of the project and leading wind energy customers such as the University of Pennsylvania
and PEPCO Energy Services
.
The wind farm is visible while heading south on the Pennsylvania Turnpike
's Northeast Extension
.
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
located in Bear Creek Township less than ten miles southeast of Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
with 12 Gamesa 2.0 MW wind turbine
Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica
Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica , is a manufacturing company principally involved in the fabrication of wind turbines and the construction of wind farms....
s that began commercial operation in February 2006. The wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
has a combined total nameplate capacity of 24 MW, but actually produces about 75,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. Bear Creek usually operates at roughly a 30% capacity factor
Capacity factor
The net capacity factor or load factor of a power plant is the ratio of the actual output of a power plant over a period of time and its potential output if it had operated at full nameplate capacity the entire time...
until the winter months when winds are stronger and it runs near 70 percent capacity. The wind energy facility is located in the Pocono Mountain region of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
, less than 10 miles southeast of Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
near the village of Bear Creek
Bear Creek Village, Pennsylvania
Bear Creek Village is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 284 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on August 25, 1993 from portions of Bear Creek Township.-Geography:...
. Construction of the wind farm was made possible by commitments from PPL Energy Plus
PPL (utility)
PPL, formerly known as PP&L or Pennsylvania Power and Light, is an energy company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. It currently controls about 19,000 megawatts of electrical generating capacity in the United States, primarily in Pennsylvania and Montana, and delivers electricity to...
to purchase the output of the project and leading wind energy customers such as the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and PEPCO Energy Services
Pepco Holdings
Pepco Holdings, Inc. is a holding company incorporated in February of 2001 for the purpose of effecting the acquisition of Conectiv Power Delivery by Potomac Electric Power Company . The acquisition was completed on August 1, 2002 at which time Pepco and Conectiv became wholly owned subsidiaries...
.
The wind farm is visible while heading south on the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
's Northeast Extension
Interstate 476
Interstate 476 is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania designated between Interstate 95 near Chester and Interstate 81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor through eastern Pennsylvania....
.