December 1, 2009

Top Plants: Fowler Ridge Wind Farm, Benton County, Indiana

Angela Neville, JD

The U.S. Wind Energy Industry

Fowler Ridge is one of the many new wind power projects being constructed across the U.S. In a recent report, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) points out that wind has become one of the world’s fastest growing energy sources on a percentage basis. U.S. wind power capacity has grown by an average of 32% each year for the past five years, 2004 through 2008, and now totals more than 31,000 MW.

Wind power has been second only to new natural gas for four years in a row as a share of the entire new generating capacity added annually in the U.S., according to AWEA’s calculations. Along these same lines, a 2008 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report found that wind energy could generate as much as 20% of the nation’s electricity — what nuclear power generates today — by 2030.

For example, in 2008, more than 8,500 MW of wind energy were installed, which translated into providing 42% of all the new generating capacity added in the U.S. that year, according to AWEA estimates. In contrast, in 2004 wind energy accounted for less than 2% of the new energy capacity added in the U.S.

Indiana Wind Power

The DOE’s wind program and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have studied Indiana wind resources. As part of their research, they investigated wind speeds at the level of 164 feet above the ground. As a renewable resource, wind is classified according to wind power classes, which are based on typical wind speeds. These classes range from Class 1 (the lowest) to Class 7 (the highest). Research showed that the highest wind resources in Indiana are found across the northern half of the state. In particular, Class 3 areas are located across the north-central region of Indiana. These excellent wind resources make Indiana an ideal location for wind farms.

Taking advantage of the strong Indiana wind resources, in 2008 the 130.5-MW Benton County Wind Farm began operating in the northern part of the county with 87 1.5-MW wind turbines. Duke Energy purchases electricity from this wind farm and sells it to customers through its GoGreen program.

In early 2009, the nearby Fowler Ridge Wind Farm was Indiana’s second wind farm to open and became the state’s largest. The addition of Fowler Ridge gave Benton County one of the largest concentrations of wind turbines in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.