Peñascal Wind Power Project

The 605.2 megawatt (MW) Peñascal Wind Farm project is located south of Baffin Bay in Kenedy County, Texas and was constructed in three phases by Iberdrola and Mortenson Construction. It became Iberdrola's largest renewable energy facility in the world after completion of the second phase in 2010. [1][2]

Peñascal Wind Power Project
Official namePeñascal Wind Power Project
Country
  • United States
LocationKenedy County, Texas
Coordinates27°06′44″N 97°32′26″W
Construction began2008
Commission dategradually thru 2015
Owner(s)Iberdrola
Operator(s)Avangrid
Wind farm
TypeOnshore
Power generation
Units operational269 turbines
Make and modelMitsubishi MWT-92 2.4MW,
Gamesa G97 2.0MW
Nameplate capacity605.2 MW
Capacity factor30.9% (average 2016-2019)
Annual net output1,636 GW·h

Details

The first two construction phases of the wind farm each have 84 Mitsubishi MWT-92 2.4 MW wind turbines.[3][4] Around 200 people were involved in the construction. Phase I was completed in April 2009 and Phase II came online in April 2010.[1]

The facility also created some 20 long-term jobs in maintenance and operation. Iberdrola received a $114 million treasury grant for the project as part of the stimulus funds that was released in September 2009.[1] On July 30, 2010, the U.S. Treasury's 1603 Program website listed the Penascal II Wind Project as having received a total award amount of $222,861,149.

Phase three of the project consists of 101 Gamesa G97 2.0 MW wind turbines. Construction began in 2013 and was completed in 2015.[5]

The wind farm includes an innovative radar system that detects the arrival of large flocks of migratory birds and shuts down the turbines if visibility conditions present a danger.[1][6][7]

Electricity production
Peñascal Wind Project Electricity Generation (MW·h)
YearPeñascal 1
(201.6 MW) [8]		Peñascal 2
(201.6 MW) [9]		Baffin
(202 MW) [10]		Total Annual
MW·h
2008 87*-- 87
2009 376,572*-- 376,572
2010 595,498333,048*- 928,546
2011 619,812666,210- 1,286,022
2012 636,724584,703- 1,221,427
2013 608,004576,422- 1,184,426
2014 564,882528,958- 1,093,840
2015 446,547460,217356,943* 1,263,707
2016 510,071469,891532,618 1,512,580
2017 588,153525,946624,903 1,739,002
2018 576,536522,695628,961 1,728,192
2019 494,618462,752607,698 1,565,068
Average Annual Production (years 2016-2019) --->1,636,210
Average Capacity Factor (years 2016-2019) --->30.9%

(*) partial year of operation

See also

References
  1. Iberdrola Opens 404-MW Penascal Wind Farm Renewable Energy World, 22 June 2010.
  2. "Construction Continues at Iberdrola Renewables' Baffin Wind Farm in Texas". marketwatch.com. December 2, 2013.
  3. "Peñascal I". thewindpower.net. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  4. "Peñascal II". thewindpower.net. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  5. "Baffin". thewindpower.net. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  6. "Using Radar to Protect Birds from Wind Farms". Alternative Energy News. May 5, 2009.
  7. Suzanne Goldenberg (May 1, 2009). "Texas wind farm pioneers radar technology to protect migrating birds". The Guardian.
  8. "Peñascal 1, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  9. "Peñascal 2, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  10. "Baffin, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
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