Los Vientos Wind Farm

Los Vientos Wind Farm
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationTexas
Coordinates26°21′17″N 97°40′33″W / 26.3548°N 97.6757°W / 26.3548; -97.6757
StatusOperational
Commission date2016[1]
OwnerDuke Energy
Wind farm
TypeOnshore
Power generation
Units operational426
Make and modelSiemens SWT-2.3-108, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry MWT 102, Vestas V110-2.0 MW
Nameplate capacity912 MW[2]
[edit on Wikidata]

Los Vientos Wind Farm is a 912 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Starr and Willacy counties in South Texas. It is the second largest wind farm in the United States behind the Alta Wind Energy Center in California.[3]

Facility details

The project was constructed in five phases. Construction commenced in 2012 and was completed in 2016.[4] The energy generated by the five projects is purchased by five different customers.[5]

A two year study conducted at the facility by Texas State University, Duke Energy Renewables, and NRG Systems found that an ultrasonic system developed by NRG Systems was able to reduce fatalities of some bat species by more than 50%.[6][7] In 2019, Duke Energy began installing the deterrent systems at 255 turbines in Los Vientos III, IV, and V. Installation of the systems is expected to take five years.[8]

Overview

[5]

Plant Capacity
(MW)		 Commissioned Turbines Customers
Los Vientos I 200 December 2012 87 Siemens SWT-2.3-108 CPS Energy
Los Vientos II 202 December 2012 84 Mitsubishi Heavy Industry MWT 102 Austin Energy
Los Vientos III 200 May 2015 100 Vestas V110-2.0 MW Austin Energy
Los Vientos IV 200 August 2016 100 Vestas V110-2.0 MW Austin Energy
Los Vientos V 110 December 2015 55 Vesta V110-2.0 MW Garland Power & Light
Greenville Electric Utility System
Bryan Texas Utilities

See also

References

  1. ^ "Duke Energy Renewables completes Los Vientos V wind power project in US - NS Energy". NS Energy. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  2. ^ Downey, John. "As Duke Energy claims spots among largest U.S. wind projects, more are on the way". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. ^ "US wind's top 10 | Recharge". Recharge | Latest renewable energy news. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Top 10 - onshore wind farms - Top los-vientos-wind-farm | Lists | Energy Digital". www.energydigital.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Los Vientos Wind Farm, Texas - Power Technology | Energy News and Market Analysis". www.power-technology.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. ^ Weaver, Sara P.; Hein, Cris D.; Simpson, Thomas R.; Evans, Jonah W.; Castro-Arellano, Ivan (8 May 2020). "Ultrasonic acoustic deterrents significantly reduce bat fatalities at wind turbines". Global Ecology and Conservation. 24: e01099. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01099.
  7. ^ Bates, Mary. "A New Deterrent System Could Help Save Bats From Wind Turbines". Pacific Standard. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  8. ^ Lillian, Betsy. "Duke Energy Deploying Bat Deterrent System At Hundreds Of Texas Wind Turbines | North American Windpower". nawindpower.com. Retrieved 18 November 2020.