Papalote Creek Wind Farm

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.

Papalote Creek Wind Farm
Official namePapalote Creek Wind Farm
CountryUnited States
LocationSan Patricio County, Texas
Coordinates27°58′48″N 97°23′28″W
Construction began2009
Commission date2010
Owner(s)E.ON
Operator(s)E.ON
Wind farm
TypeOnshore
Power generation
Units operational196 turbines
Make and modelVestas V82-1.65 MW
Siemens SWT-2.3 MW
Nameplate capacity380 MW
Capacity factor34.2% (average 2011-2017)
Annual net output1,139 GW·h

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.[1]

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.[2]

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.[3][4]

Electricity production
Papalote Creek Electricity Generation (MW·h)
YearPapalote Creek 1
(179.9 MW) [5]		Papalote Creek 2
(200.1 MW) [6]		Total Annual MW·h
2009 119,924*- 119,924
2010 536,329- 536,329
2011 616,966685,950 1,302,916
2012 546,085615,967 1,162,052
2013 557,093629,252 1,186,345
2014 571,767652,243 1,224,010
2015 483,294550,354 1,033,648
2016 475,691509,267 984,958
2017 510,214567,442 1,077,656
Average Annual Production (years 2011-2017) --->1,138,798
Average Capacity Factor (years 2012-2017) --->34.2%

(*) partial year of operation

See also

References
  1. "E.ON - Projects in North America - Papalote Creek I & II". E.ON Climate and Renewables. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. "196 Wind Turbines Cranking Out Power". San Patricio Municipal Water District. February 1, 2011.
  3. Gold, Russell (September 2, 2017). "In Big Test of Wind Farm Durability, Texas Facility Quickly Restarts After Harvey". Retrieved September 4, 2017 – via www.wsj.com. The delay in restarting was mostly because the power lines were damaged
  4. "Texas Wind Turbines Survive Hurricane Harvey". REVE. August 30, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  5. "Papalote Creek 1, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  6. "Papalote Creek 2, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
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