US Wind Farms Generating the Most Electricity

Between 2006 and 2009, Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center was the largest wind farm in the world, at a time when the sight of turbines stretching across miles of landscape was a relatively new and noteworthy development. As such, the wind farm was the subject of two nuisance lawsuits objecting to the visual impacts and the sound of the turbines. The farm won, heralding an era of rapid growth in the Texas wind industry.

Because of its wind availability and abundant unencumbered land, southern Texas near Laredo is host to a contiguous grouping of wind farms, ironically in a region also notable for its oil and gas production. Javelina, which began construction in 2014, is the largest in the grouping of wind generators.

At the time of its completion in 2009, the Roscoe Wind Project near Abilene, Texas, was the largest wind farm in the world, with a capacity of 781.5 MW, overtaking its competitor and previous record holder, Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, another Texas giant. Its 627 turbines were built at the rate of one a day beginning in 2007, standing 900 feet apart and ranging in height from 350 to 415 feet.

Texas-based EDP Renewables Meadow Lake Wind Farm is located in northwest Indiana communities. The farm was built in six phases between 2009 and 2019. By the time of its completion, EDP reported that it had made $51.3 million in lease payments to landowners. Its 801 MW output is equivalent to the energy consumption of 203,000 homes.

Shepherds Flat Wind farm in eastern Oregon was completed in 2012 by Caithness Energy at a cost of $2 billion, employing 338 turbines and producing enough electricity to serve 235,000 homes. The plant, in need of upgrades, recently changed hands for $700 million. The new owner, Brookfield Renewable Partners, plans to extend the blades of the turbines and otherwise bring the technology up to date to increase capacity by 25%.