Loess Hills
The Loess Hills Wind Farm was completed in spring 2008, producing enough electricity to make Rock Port, Missouri, the first community in America capable of meeting its entire annual electricity demands from wind power. The 5 megawatt (MW) wind project built on agricultural lands within the city limits of Rock Port in Atchison County includes four Suzlon S-64, 1.25 megawatt (MW) wind turbines. Rock Port is a member of the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC) that supplies power for 56 municipal utilities throughout Missouri. The Loess Hills Wind Farm is interconnected with the Rock Port Municipal Utility 12.4 kV (12,400-volt) distribution system.
Loess Hills benefited during construction from the economies of scale offered by the construction of Wind Capital Group’s nearby Cow Branch Wind Farm. Both projects were built at the same time and shared the same contractor. Customers of the Rock Port utility also benefit from a reduction in electrical transmission charges previously paid to bring power to the city. The four turbines are producing approximately 16 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity every year, which is 3 million kWh more than the city is expected to use.
The Loess Hills Wind Farm and Rock Port, Missouri, continue to generate national and international news as the only community in the nation with wind power capable of producing 100% of the town’s annual electrical needs. Film crews from ABC World News, Japan’s FUJI Television, FOX World News, CNN and other national and international media have also produced stories about Rock Port and the Loess Hills Wind Farm, highlighting Rock Port’s newest crop: wind generated electricity.
Project Details
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| Location: |
Atchison County, Missouri |
| Capacity: |
5 megawatts (MW) |
| Power Purchaser: |
Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission |
| Commissioned: |
Spring 2008 |
| Financing provided by John Deere |
Technology
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| Turbine Model: |
Suzlon S-64 |
| Turbine Rating: |
1.25 megawatts (MW) |
| Number of Turbines: |
5 |
Output Details
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Number of Homes Powered:
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Approximately 1,400 - the entire town of Rock Port, Missouri |
| CO2 Savings: |
Approximately 10,000 metric tonnes/year |
| Equivalent Cars off Road: |
Approximately 2,000/year |