The Stateline Wind Farm is a
wind farm located on Vansycle Ridge, which receives 16 to 18 mph (26 – 29 km/h) average wind speeds from the
Columbia Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state ...
, on the border between
Washington and
Oregon in the
United States. With 454 turbines,
it is the largest wind project in the
Northwestern United States.
Costing
$300 million to build, it began operation in 2001.
The project employs 660 kW capacity
Vestas wind turbines, which collectively will produce a maximum electrical output of 306.9
MW.
On average, the project is expected to produce 30 to 35 percent of that capacity year-round. Turbines are controlled individually by electronic systems which direct them into the wind and adjust the pitch of the blades to maximize electrical production at any wind speed from 7 to 56 mph (11.3 to 90 km/h). The turbines automatically shut down at wind speeds excess of , a feature which allows them to withstand
hurricane-force winds.
The wind turbines are grouped in strings of 5 to 37 turbines, each turbine spaced approximately 250 feet (76 m) from the next, generally slightly downwind of the crest of ridges. Each turbine tower is 166 feet (50 m) tall, with blades 76 feet (23 m) wide.
Environmental impact studies determined that the site was not used extensively by
birds or other species vulnerable to injury from turbines, and the turbine towers' construction, along with the use of underground
power lines, was designed to minimize perching places for birds.
The area around the project is used primarily for private
farming, including dryland
wheat farming and cattle
grazing.
The Stateline Wind Project is several miles northwest of the
Vansycle Wind Project
The Vansycle I Wind Project (formerly Vansycle Wind Project) is a wind farm in Umatilla County, Oregon. It consists of 38 Vestas 0.66 MW wind turbines at the upper end of Vansycle Canyon with a collective nameplate generating capacity of 25.08 ...
in
Umatilla County, Oregon. Both are owned and operated by
Florida Power & Light, a division of
NextEra Energy
NextEra Energy, Inc. is an American energy company with about 58 GW of generating capacity (24 GW of which were from fossil fuel sources), revenues of over $18 billion in 2020, and about 14,900 employees throughout the US and Canada. It is the ...
.
A wind turbine collapsed over the weekend of November 2, 2013 on the Washington side of the Stateline Wind Project.
Gallery
Image:WindTurbinesWallaWallaRiverNortheasterly.JPG
Image:WindTurbinesWallaWallaRiver.JPG
Image:WindTurbinesBlueMountains 2.JPG
See also
*
Bonneville Environmental Foundation
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) is a national non-profit organization that focuses on water, carbon and energy solutions to help combat climate change and water scarcity. It was founded in 1998 to support watershed restoration program ...
*
Wind power in the United States
References
External links
Renewable Northwest Projectsite.
Oregon governmentsite.
{{Wind power in the United States
Buildings and structures in Umatilla County, Oregon
Buildings and structures in Walla Walla County, Washington
Wind farms in Oregon
Wind farms in Washington (state)
Energy infrastructure completed in 2001
Energy infrastructure completed in 2002
Energy infrastructure completed in 2009
2001 establishments in Oregon
2001 establishments in Washington (state)
NextEra Energy