World’s Largest Wind Farm Planned In Oregon
The Portland Business Journal reports that Oregon has just been given the go-ahead by The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council to build a 909 MW wind farm in the north-central part of the state. That’s enough energy to power 200,000 homes.
The Shepherd’s Flat Wind Farm will contain 303 wind turbines and will double the state’s wind-generating capacity. It will boost the local economy by creating 250 to 300 new jobs, and lease payments to landowners will supplement farm incomes.
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However, the farm does face one challenge: Northwest power agencies claim to only be able to handle 1500 more megawatts of wind power on the grid. With new renewable energy projects popping up all over the place, it might be time to start thinking about some serious solutions to this problem.
If all goes according to plan, the Oregonian wind farm—scheduled to be in operation by 2010— will ultimately be overtaken in capacity by T. Boone Pickens’ 4000 MW Texas wind farm, which should be completed by 2014.
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“That’s enough energy to power 200,000 homes each year.”
Each year? What is that supposed to mean? We’re talking about power. It should read: That’s enough energy to power 200,000 homes “period”
GB - Duly noted. I’ll fix that.
It just keeps on coming. Folks this is what we need, competing energy sources all building for the future. It all keeps adding up.
Larryhagedon
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Well gosh darn T Boone Pickens for stealing all the glory from us! Ah well, with all their oil drilling, Texas needs a little help catching up to Oregon on the green curve.
Really though, this is great news. When I’ve driven through Eastern Oregon and Washington I’ve always noticed a conspicuous absence of windmills on Oregon hilltops in comparison with what’s literally right across the border in Washington. So about time Oregon put in a big project like this. We still have a lot of offshore capacity that I would like to see developed though: Wind Energy in Oregon.
Am I missing something?
How is a 303 turbine larger than the upcoming 667 turbine farm being built in Texas by T. Boone Pickens?
http://www.replacingoil.com/2008/05/t-boone-pickens-building-worlds-largest-wind-farm/
Are the turbines more than twice the size of the ones in Texas?
Crenauer - see the last sentence of the post. The Oregon wind farm is currently further ahead in the planning stages than the Pickens plan (it is scheduled to be completed in 2010, while the Texas farm won’t be ready until 2014)- although you are correct in stating that Pickens’ farm will ultimately produce more energy.
Thanks Ariel,
was that last sentence there before? I must be going blind in my old age.
Whatever the case, it’s exciting to see our vast wind resources being used on such a large scale!
No problem. And I agree - it’s a good thing when we have 2 plans competing for the number 1 spot in the country.
“Northwest power agencies claim to only be able to handle 1500 more megawatts of wind power on the grid.”
Not sure why they would single out wind power, after all, once generated it is the same as any other power on the grid. So, if that means their grid can only handle another 1500MW of power, I see two possible options (not mutually exclusive):
a) Expand the capacity of the grid (based on demand for power of course, not just because we’re generating more);
b) Switch off some non-renewable fuel power stations, or generate less with them, as wind farms come online.
I don’t see why they would stop using wind power until 100% of the north west’s power was coming from clean, renewable sources. And even then they can start “exporting” it to other regions too…
That is a good news, More and more countries will build wind farm, make the world green and peace.