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.
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.
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.
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.
Electricity production
+Papalote Creek Electricity Generation (MW·h) Year Papalote Creek 1(179.9 MW) Papalote Creek 2(200.1 MW) 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 1,077,656Average Annual Production (years 2011-2017) : 1,138,798Average 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