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]
| Los Vientos Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Texas |
| Coordinates | 26°21′17″N 97°40′33″W / 26.3548°N 97.6757°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 2016[1] |
| Owner | Duke Energy |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 426 |
| Make and model | Siemens SWT-2.3-108, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry MWT 102, Vestas V110-2.0 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 912 MW[2] |
Facility details
editThe 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
edit| 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
edit
References
edit- ^ "Duke Energy Renewables completes Los Vientos V wind power project in US - NS Energy". NS Energy. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "US wind's top 10 | Recharge". Recharge | Latest renewable energy news. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Top 10 - onshore wind farms - Top los-vientos-wind-farm | Lists | Energy Digital". www.energydigital.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Los Vientos Wind Farm, Texas - Power Technology | Energy News and Market Analysis". www.power-technology.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bates, Mary. "A New Deterrent System Could Help Save Bats From Wind Turbines". Pacific Standard. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ Lillian, Betsy. "Duke Energy Deploying Bat Deterrent System At Hundreds Of Texas Wind Turbines | North American Windpower". nawindpower.com. Retrieved 18 November 2020.