The 180 MW Tatanka Wind Farm, is located in Dickey County and McIntosh County, North Dakota, and McPherson County, South Dakota. It is the largest wind farm in North and South Dakota and generates enough renewable energy to power more than 60,000 U.S. homes.

Tatanka Wind Farm is the first installation of Acciona's 1.5 MW wind turbines in the United States. Construction of the $381 million project began in April 2007. The plant went online on July 25, 2008.

Tatanka Wind Farm is the largest renewable-energy project in North and South Dakota, sitting on approximately 14,080 acres. This landmark wind farm will generate enough clean energy to power more than 60,000 U.S. homes. With the exception of the small footprint made by the 120 turbines, at about 1 acre each, the land use is dominated by cattle grazing and crop cultivation, as it has been for decades and generations.

Tatanka represents the first installation of ACCIONA’s 1.5 MW turbines in the U.S. There are 120 wind turbines spread over the wind farm, with 59 turbines located in South Dakota and 61 turbines in North Dakota. The electricity generated is sold into the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MITSO), which delivers electric power to a very large region of the upper midwestern U.S. and Canada.

The Whispering Willow Wind Farm in Franklin County, Iowa. The wind farm is capable of generating up to 200 megawatts of emissions-free wind energy for its customers — enough to power approximately 50,000 homes. The construction on the wind farm began in 2008 and completed in 2009. It consists of 121 wind turbines spread out over 144 square miles (370 km²).

The company expects that over the next 20 years, the Whispering Willow Wind Farm will offset approximately 2 million tons of carbon dioxide, 2,600 tons of nitrogen oxides, 7,000 tons of sulfur dioxides and 0.5 ton of mercury. The carbon dioxide avoided is the equivalent of taking approximately 309,000 standard-size automobiles off the road each year.

Meadow Lake Wind Farm is a wind farm near Brookston and Chalmers, Indiana, spreading over portions of White, Jasper, and Benton Counties in Indiana, owned and operated by Horizon Wind Energy. The wind farm is undergoing construction in phases, and could eventually reach a combined nameplate capacity of 1000 MW with over 600 wind turbines.

Phase I

Meadow Lake Wind Farm Phase I consists of 121 Vestas V82 1.65 MW wind turbines, for a total nameplate capacity of 199.65 MW. Groundbreaking ceremonies occurred on April 14, 2009. Phase I became operational in October, 2009. At that time, Horizon had not completed a power purchase agreement with a utility company. Instead, Horizon began selling the wind farm's output to the regional wholesale electricity market.

Horizon built a substation next to an existing AEP substation which was already within the wind farm site area. This allowed the wind farm to connect to the power grid without the need to build lengthy new transmission line at a cost of $1 million per mile.

Phase II

Meadow Lake Wind Farm Phase II was under construction in early 2010, with 66 Acciona wind turbines having a combined nameplate capacity of 99 MW.

Phases III, IV, V, and VI

The next phases will have capacities between about 100 MW and 200 MW each.

Phase III construction began in March, 2010

Meadow Lake Wind Farm
Country	United States
Locale	Brookston, Indiana
Coordinates	40°36′4″N 86°51′57″W / 40.60111°N 86.86583°W / 40.60111; -86.86583 / 40.60111; -86.86583
Status	Phase I operating; phase II under construction
Commission date	Phase I: October 2009
Owner(s)	Horizon Wind Energy
Power station information
Primary fuel	Wind farm
Generation units	121 Vestas V82 wind turbines, @1.65 MW
Power generation information
Installed capacity	Phase I: 199.65 MW
Maximum capacity	Phase I: 199.65 MW

The Big Horn Wind Farm has a 200 megawatt generating capacity and uses 133 GE Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines. This wind power plant is owned by Big Horn LLC, a subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables.It is located in Klickitat County, Washington and 98 percent of the land it is on remains available for traditional uses, such as hunting and farming.

The electricity from Big Horn Wind Farm is sold to M-S-R Public Power Agency. M-S-R is a California joint powers authority organized in 1980 by the Modesto Irrigation District, Silicon Valley Power (Santa Clara) and the City of Redding. Its mission is to acquire electric generation and transmission resources for the electric systems of its members.

PPM Energy now has more than 2,000 megawatts of wind energy in operation or under construction. PPM Energy is a part of the IBERDROLA group of companies, a leading provider of wind power.

The Nobles Wind Farm Project, a 201 megawatts wind power plant, is in construction in Nobles County, Minnesota, USA. Wind power plant is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity. The wind farm will have 134 GE 1.5 MW turbines spread over 49 square miles of farmland. All of the turbines are to be located within Olney, Dewald, Larkin and Summit Lake townships.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission had approved the Nobles Wind Project in May, 2009. The capital outlay of the project is greater than $500 million. Xcel Energy has partnered with enXco Development Corporation to site, develop and construct the facilities and ownership of the projects will transfer to Xcel Energy in a progressive manner. The owner of this project is NSP, the developer is enXco Development Corp and General Contractor is Mortenson Construction. enXco and Xcel Energy have done a purchase and sale agreement. The electricity generated will be transferred to Northern States Power Company of Minnesota, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy. Xcel Energy assumed ownership of the Nobles Wind Project.

Construction on the 201-megawatt wind farm began in early April 2010. The wind farm is now at an advanced stage of construction. The towers will stand 389 feet tall, including the blade. A wind turbine is a rotary device that extracts energy from the wind. A unique feature of this project is the use of buoyant foundations to accommodate the site’s high water table.

The Nobles Wind Farm Project begin the operational by December 2010 although this will depend largely on the wind speed. On days where the wind gusts are greater than 22 miles per hour at the top of the crane work has to shut down.

When it is completed and in full operation it will produce enough electricity to power approximately 50,000 homes. While the construction is nearing the end the wind farm is already providing some electricity to the grid with wind turbines becoming operational and synchronized to the grid as their construction is completed. The Nobles wind farm will supply electricity to St Paul – the Twin Cities. The Project meets the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s commitment to provide clean, renewable energy at a reasonable cost to its consumers.

The Milford Wind Corridor Project is a 203 megawatt wind farm in Milford, Utah. The project was developed by First Wind. The wind farm has 97 wind turbines, including 58 Clipper Liberty 2.5-MW wind turbines and 39 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines.

The 203 MW Milford I project went online in November 2009 and supported more than 300 development and construction jobs. First Wind spent about $30 million with Utah-based businesses developing and building the first phase of the project. Another $50 million was spent statewide on items such as wages and taxes.

A second phase of the Milford Wind Corridor Project began in July 2010 and foundations were poured in October. The expansion will add another 68 GE 1.5-MW turbines for a total of an additional 102 MW.

• Approximately 90 miles of new 345-kV transmission line for interconnection with the IPP substation near Delta, Utah
• An interconnection facility (i.e., switching station) at the IPP substation for connection between the project transmission line and the IPP substation.

At the facility’s electrical substation, the voltage of the power being delivered by the Wind Energy Facility power collection system at 34.5 kV would be stepped up to 345 kV for delivery into the project transmission line. Delivery of the power to the IPP substation would require a new, approximately 90-mile-long, 345-kV transmission line crossing primarily BLM-managed lands.

The proposed transmission line route would follow one of two alternative routes. The first route (applicant’s proposed route) would travel west from the Wind Energy Facility to a point west of Arizona State Route 257, which it would follow generally north-northeast, diverging east, north, and then west around Delta, Utah, to it’s interconnection at the IPP substation. The second alternative transmission line route would generally follow a route that is parallel to the existing IPP transmission line. Similar to the applicant’s proposed route, the alternative transmission line would terminate at the IPP substation near Delta. Wooden H-frame or steel-lattice transmission line towers spaced at approximately one-quarter-mile intervals within a permanent trans transmission line cables. The transmission line towers would be up to approximately 164 feet high and would each occupy a permanent area approximately 20 feet by 30 feet. The Wind Energy Facility substation would occupy an area site of approximately 10-acres or less.

Today, wind energy is an advanced and sophisticated technology, which belongs to the most economical renewable energy sources. The costs of energy production have been reduced by more than 50 % during the last decade and will continue decreasing in the future. On the other hand, prices for fossil energy sources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas have already increase noticeably due to high demand and limited availability. The necessary modernization of power plants and the replacement of outdated plants will lead to a further increase in electricity generation costs.

These are several advantages of wind power plant:

1. Wind energy is economically competitive. With today’s rising coal and gas prices, new wind plants compete favorably against any new electricity generation source.
2. Small plot of land: Although wind turbines can be very tall each takes up only a small plot of land. Wind turbines take up less space than the average power station. Windmills only have to occupy a few square meters for the base, this allows the land around the turbine to be used for many purposes, for example agriculture. Wind energy is a valuable crop of the future for farmers and ranchers. Wind farms located in rural areas generate energy that can be transmitted to load centers in urban areas via the regional utility grid. The rural areas retain the jobs, as well as land lease revenue for farmers and ranchers. Wind turbines are compatible with rural land uses—crops can be grown and livestock can be grazed up to the base of the turbine.
3. Unlike most other electricity generation sources, wind turbines don’t consume water. Conventional plants generating power from fossil and nuclear fuels use large amounts of water for cooling; wind turbines do not use water.
   
4. Wind energy is inexhaustible and infinitely renewable. Unlike conventional fossil fuels, wind energy is renewable, abundant energy that will be available for future generations.
5. Clean Energy: The use of wind turbines does not generate pollution or radioactive waste like most other forms of electricity generation do. Their construction and installation has less environmental impact as well. Wind energy is friendly to the surrounding environment, as no fossil fuels are burnt to generate electricity from wind energy. Wind energy has many environmental benefits. Wind energy is clean energy that produces no emissions, which means it doesn’t contribute to acid rain and snow, global climate change, smog, regional haze, mercury contamination, water withdrawal, and particulate-related health effects.
6. Because wind energy’s “fuel” is free, it reduces the risk associated with volatile fossil fuel prices. Wind displaces electricity that would otherwise be produced by burning natural gas, thus helping to reduce gas demand and limit gas price hikes.
   
7. Wind energy is the fuel of today and tomorrow. Today, wind provides competitive electricity. Tomorrow, it is likely to be the cheapest source of electricity for the distributed generation of hydrogen.
8. Wind energy can be used in a variety of applications. Small wind turbines, alone or as part of a hybrid system, can power homes, businesses, and farms/ranches. Wind energy is perfect for remote applications, such as water pumping, ice making, powering telecommunications sites, and displacing diesel fuel in villages. Community wind projects include projects for schools, tribes, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives.
9. Newer technologies are making the extraction of wind energy much more efficient. The wind is free, and we are able to cash in on this free source of energy.
10. Wind turbines are a great resource to generate energy in remote locations, such as mountain communities and remote countryside. Wind turbines can be a range of different sizes in order to support varying population levels.
11. Another advantage of wind power plant is that when combined with solar electricity, this energy source is great for developed and developing countries to provide a steady, reliable supply of electricity.

Small wind turbines are wind turbines which have lower energy output than large commercial wind turbines, such as those found in wind farms. These turbines may be as small as a fifty watt generator for boat, caravan, or miniature refrigeration unit. Small units often have direct drive generators, direct current output, aeroelastic blades, lifetime bearings and use a vane to point into the wind. Larger, more costly turbines generally have geared power trains, alternating current output, flaps and are actively pointed into the wind. Direct drive generators and aeroelastic blades for large wind turbines are being researched.

Installation of Small Wind Turbine

Turbines should be mounted on a suitable tower to raise them above any nearby obstacles. A good rule of thumb is that turbines should be at least 30 feet (9 m) higher than anything within 500 feet (152 m). In general, an effort should be made to make sure that a small wind turbine is as far away as possible from large upwind obstacles. Measurements made in a boundary layer wind tunnel have indicated that significant detrimental effects associated with nearby obstacles can extend up to 80 times the obstacle's height downwind. However, this is an extreme case. Another approach to siting a small turbine is to use a shelter model to predict how nearby obstacles will affect local wind conditions. Models of this type are general and can be applied to any site. They are often developed based on actual wind measurements, and can estimate flow properties such as mean wind speed and turbulence levels at a potential turbine location, taking into account the size, shape, and distance to any nearby obstacles.

A small wind turbine can be installed on a roof. Installation issues then include the strength of the roof, vibration, and the turbulence caused by the roof ledge. Small-scale rooftop turbines suffer from turbulence and rarely generate significant amounts of power, especially in towns and cities.

Types of Small Wind Turbine

Smaller scale turbines for residential scale use are available, they are usually approximately 7 to 25 feet (2.1–7.6 m) in diameter and produce electricity at a rate of 300 to 10,000 watts at their tested wind speed. Some units have been designed to be very lightweight in their construction, e.g. 16 kilograms (35 lb), allowing sensitivity to minor wind movements and a rapid response to wind gusts typically found in urban settings and easy mounting much like a television antenna. It is claimed, and a few are certified, as being inaudible even a few feet (about a metre) under the turbine.

The majority of small wind turbines are traditional horizontal axis wind turbines, but Vertical axis wind turbines are a growing type of wind turbine in the small-wind market. These turbines, by being able to take wind from multiple dimensions, are more applicable for use at low heights, on rooftops, and in generally urbanized areas. Their ability to function well at low heights is particularly important when considering the cost of a high tower necessary for traditional turbines. All big companies in this industry, such as WePower, Urban Green Energy, Mariah Power, and Helix Wind, have reported sharply increasing sales over the previous years.

Dynamic braking regulates the speed by dumping excess energy, so that the turbine continues to produce electricity even in high winds. The dynamic braking resistor may be installed inside the building to provide heat (during high winds when more heat is lost by the building, while more heat is also produced by the braking resistor). The location makes low voltage (around 12 volt) distribution practical.