King Mountain Wind Farm
Encyclopedia
The King Mountain Wind Farm is a 278.2 megawatt (MW) wind farm
in Upton County, Texas
, United States
. 214 Siemens
1.3 MW wind turbine
s are sited in rows along the south-eastern and north-western edges of a mesa
surrounded by deep ravines. The project was completed in December 2001. Annual electricity production is more than 750 GW·h. The wind farm is owned by FPL Energy and the customers for the electricity generated are Reliant Energy
(198.9 MW), Austin Energy
(76.7 MW) and Texas-New Mexico Power Company (2.6 MW).
Dust, sand and high temperatures place extraordinary demands on the wind turbines. Consequently, the design was modified for the desert-like conditions, providing additional cooling and protection against wind-blown sand.
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...
in Upton County, Texas
Upton County, Texas
Upton County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,404. Its county seat is Rankin. The county is named for two brothers: John C. and William F. Upton, both Colonels in the Confederate army....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. 214 Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
1.3 MW wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s are sited in rows along the south-eastern and north-western edges of a mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
surrounded by deep ravines. The project was completed in December 2001. Annual electricity production is more than 750 GW·h. The wind farm is owned by FPL Energy and the customers for the electricity generated are Reliant Energy
Reliant Energy
RRI Energy, Inc. , based in Houston, Texas, United States, was an energy company that provided electricity to wholesale customers in the United States. The company was one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with more than 14,000 megawatts of power generation capacity across...
(198.9 MW), Austin Energy
Austin Energy
Austin Energy is the public utility providing electrical power service to a area including Austin, Texas and parts of the surrounding area in Travis and Williamson counties...
(76.7 MW) and Texas-New Mexico Power Company (2.6 MW).
Dust, sand and high temperatures place extraordinary demands on the wind turbines. Consequently, the design was modified for the desert-like conditions, providing additional cooling and protection against wind-blown sand.
See also
- Wind power in the United StatesWind power in the United StatesAs of the third quarter of 2011, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power in the United States was 43,461 megawatts , making it second in the world, behind China. In 2010 wind power accounted for 2.3% of the electricity generated in the United States...
- Wind power in TexasWind power in TexasWind power in Texas consists of many wind farms with a total installed nameplate capacity of 10,223 MW from over 40 different projects. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state, followed by Iowa with 3,708 MW...