Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center
Encyclopedia
Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is a large wind farm
with 735.5 megawatt (MW) capacity. It consists of 291 GE 1.5 MW wind turbine
s and 130 Siemens
2.3 MW wind turbines spread over nearly 47,000 acres (190 km²) of land in Taylor
and Nolan County, Texas
.
The Horse Hollow Wind project was constructed in three phases by Blattner Energy. In 2005 project developer NextEra Energy and EPC contractor Blattner Energy constructed and commissioned the first 142 GE 1.5 turbines. Phase two added 130 Siemens 2.3 MW turbines in the second quarter of 2006. Soon after, phase three was commissioned bringing an additional 149 GE 1.5’s into the mix by the end of 2006. Finally, before the year was out NextEra worked with contractor Tetra-Tech to install 2 more GE 1.5 MW turbines in the phase referred to as “Horse Hollow Expansion”.
The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center was subject to one of the nation's first nuisance lawsuits against a wind farm. Plaintiffs in the area of the wind farm, many of whom live on 100-700 acre properties, originally filed suit in June 2005, as they disliked the appearance of the turbines. Soon after, the judge ruled that under Texas law, they could not complain about the look of the wind farm. The complaints then shifted to the sound created by the turbines, and extensive noise measurements were made. The jury found that the wind farm did not create a "private nuisance", as was charged, and they made no award to the plaintiffs.
NextEra Energy Resources
(through its subsidiaries) owns and operates Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center and 46 other wind farms throughout the United States, with an installed capacity of 4,002 MW. This is enough capacity to provide electricity for nearly one million average U.S. homes.
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
with 735.5 megawatt (MW) capacity. It consists of 291 GE 1.5 MW wind turbine
GE 1.5 MW wind turbine
GE Wind Energy is a branch of GE Energy, a subsidiary of General Electric. The company manufactures and sells wind turbines to the international market. In 2009, GE was the second largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world.-History:...
s and 130 Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
2.3 MW wind turbines spread over nearly 47,000 acres (190 km²) of land in Taylor
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
and Nolan County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
The Horse Hollow Wind project was constructed in three phases by Blattner Energy. In 2005 project developer NextEra Energy and EPC contractor Blattner Energy constructed and commissioned the first 142 GE 1.5 turbines. Phase two added 130 Siemens 2.3 MW turbines in the second quarter of 2006. Soon after, phase three was commissioned bringing an additional 149 GE 1.5’s into the mix by the end of 2006. Finally, before the year was out NextEra worked with contractor Tetra-Tech to install 2 more GE 1.5 MW turbines in the phase referred to as “Horse Hollow Expansion”.
The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center was subject to one of the nation's first nuisance lawsuits against a wind farm. Plaintiffs in the area of the wind farm, many of whom live on 100-700 acre properties, originally filed suit in June 2005, as they disliked the appearance of the turbines. Soon after, the judge ruled that under Texas law, they could not complain about the look of the wind farm. The complaints then shifted to the sound created by the turbines, and extensive noise measurements were made. The jury found that the wind farm did not create a "private nuisance", as was charged, and they made no award to the plaintiffs.
NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources is an wholesale electricity supplier based in Juno Beach, Florida. It is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. , a Fortune 200 company. Prior to 2009, NextEra Energy Resources was known as FPL Energy....
(through its subsidiaries) owns and operates Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center and 46 other wind farms throughout the United States, with an installed capacity of 4,002 MW. This is enough capacity to provide electricity for nearly one million average U.S. homes.
See also
- List of wind farms
- Wind farms
- Wind powerWind powerWind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
- Wind power in the United StatesWind power in the United StatesAs of the third quarter of 2011, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power in the United States was 43,461 megawatts , making it second in the world, behind China. In 2010 wind power accounted for 2.3% of the electricity generated in the United States...
- Wind power in TexasWind power in TexasWind power in Texas consists of many wind farms with a total installed nameplate capacity of 10,223 MW from over 40 different projects. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state, followed by Iowa with 3,708 MW...