Papalote Creek Wind Farm

The Papalote Creek Wind Farm near Taft, Texas in San Patricio County is an array of 196 wind turbines that can produce 380 megawatts (MW) of power, enough to serve approximately 114,000 homes. The wind farm was built and is operated by E.ON Climate and Renewables North America.

Papalote Creek Wind Farm
Official name	Papalote Creek Wind Farm
Country	United States
Location	San Patricio County, Texas
Coordinates	27°58′48″N 97°23′28″W
Construction began	2009
Commission date	2010
Owner(s)	E.ON
Operator(s)	E.ON
Wind farm
Type	Onshore
Power generation
Units operational	196 turbines
Make and model	Vestas V82-1.65 MW Siemens SWT-2.3 MW
Nameplate capacity	380 MW
Capacity factor	34.2% (average 2011-2017)
Annual net output	1,139 GW·h

Details

The first phase of 109 Vestas 1.65 megawatt turbines came on line in the fall of 2009. The second phase of 87 Siemens 2.3 megawatt turbines came on line in winter 2010. All turbines are approximately 262 feet high and have three blades. The turbines have a maximum speed of 22 rotations per minute.[1]

The majority of the electricity generated is sold to the Lower Colorado River Authority, and to CPS Energy which is owned by the City of San Antonio.

The land for the wind farm is privately owned and leased to E.ON. The lease agreement allows for other uses of the land such as farming and ranching. The wind farm has added more than $500 million in value to the property tax base of San Patricio County and local school districts. Additional turbines may be added to the wind farm in the future.[2]

The wind farm is located about 20 miles from where Hurricane Harvey made landfall on August 25, 2017, and experienced wind speeds of 90 mph, shutting the wind farm down. Downed power lines delayed operation for a few days before the wind farm became operational again.[3][4]

Electricity production

Papalote Creek Electricity Generation (MW·h)

Year	Papalote Creek 1 (179.9 MW) [5]	Papalote Creek 2 (200.1 MW) [6]	Total Annual MW·h
2009	119,924*	-	119,924
2010	536,329	-	536,329
2011	616,966	685,950	1,302,916
2012	546,085	615,967	1,162,052
2013	557,093	629,252	1,186,345
2014	571,767	652,243	1,224,010
2015	483,294	550,354	1,033,648
2016	475,691	509,267	984,958
2017	510,214	567,442	1,077,656
Average Annual Production (years 2011-2017) --->			1,138,798
Average Capacity Factor (years 2012-2017) --->			34.2%

(*) partial year of operation

See also

• Wind power in Texas
• List of wind farms in the United States

References

1. "E.ON - Projects in North America - Papalote Creek I & II". E.ON Climate and Renewables. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
2. "196 Wind Turbines Cranking Out Power". San Patricio Municipal Water District. February 1, 2011.
3. Gold, Russell (September 2, 2017). "In Big Test of Wind Farm Durability, Texas Facility Quickly Restarts After Harvey". Retrieved September 4, 2017 – via www.wsj.com. The delay in restarting was mostly because the power lines were damaged
4. "Texas Wind Turbines Survive Hurricane Harvey". REVE. August 30, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
5. "Papalote Creek 1, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
6. "Papalote Creek 2, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 27, 2019.