The wind power and electricity produced from the Los Vientos Wind Farm makes it the largest onshore wind farm in the state of Texas.
The onshore wind farm is capable of powering 120,000 Texas homes. Duke Energy commissioned this wind farm in 2016.
How large is the Los Vientos Wind Farm?
The wind farm is the second largest onshore wind farm in the United States. Alta Wind Energy Center, also known as Mojave Wind Farm ,in California, is the largest, at 1,550 MW capacity.
How much wind power does the farm deliver?
The farm’s nominal capacity is 912 MW.
Who owns Los Vientos Wind farm?
The farm is one of the Duke Energy Renewable projects in Texas. Duke Energy Renewables are highly invested in Texas, as the company also owns other renewable energy facilities, including:
- Sweetwater Wind Farm in Nolan County
- Ocotillo Wind Power project in Howard County,
- Notrees Wind Power project in Winkler County
- Mesquite Creek Wind Power Project in Borden & Dawson Counties
- Blue Wing Solar Power Project in San Antonio
In 2022, Duke Energy’s renewable projects can generate up to 1,563 MW of electricity.
How many phases does the farm have?
Duke Energy constructed the Los Vientos Wind Farm in five phases. Based in Starr & Willacy Counties, the wind power project is almost evenly divided in terms of installed
capacity.
- Los Vientos i (200 MW)
- Los Vientos ii (202 MW)
- Los Vientos iii (200 MW)
- Los Vientos iv (200 MW)
- Los Vientos v (110 MW)
Where is the Los Vientos Wind Farm?
Los Vientos Wind Farm is located near Rio Grande City in Starr County & Willacy Counties in South Texas. Compared to other large wind farms in west Texas’ natural wind belt, Los Vientos is located in the southern Texas near the Mexico border.
When was the first power generation of the farm?
The power plant went into full commercial operation in 2016. The construction phase was between 2012 to 2016.
Who buys electricity generated by the Los Vientos Wind farm?
Five customers buy the wind farm’s electricity: CPS Energy, Austin Energy, Garland Power and Light, Greenville Electric Utility System, and Bryan Texas Utilities.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid distributes the electricity to the customers.
Who manufactured the turbines?
The brands of the turbines installed on the farm are Mitsubishi, Siemens, and Vestas. The Los Vientos Wind Farm uses 426 wind turbines across five phases.
A unique mixture for the wind turbine foundations was used by Keller, one of the subcontractors, to work around some of the sites with moist and soft clay.
Expansion Plans
As the second largest wind farm in the US, the power technology used in Los Vientos Wind Farm also affects the surrounding ecosystem. The primary environmental effect of wind turbines is on birds and bat species.
The expansion of the farm comes in the form of innovation in the preservation of bat species. The farm utilizes specialized ultrasonic technology, developed by NRG Systems and was found to prevent the death of bat species by as much as half. Duke Energy will install the bat deterrent systems only in Los Vientos 3, 4, and 5 for 255 wind turbines. Duke Energy will complete the installation by 2024.