Sunflower’s Wind Generation
Sunflower’s involvement with wind power can be traced back to the early 1990s when we participated in the Kansas Electric Utility Research Program (KEURP). Sunflower, along with other Kansas utilities, researched the wind power potential for Kansas by mapping most of the state’s wind energy sites.
While it may seem that the wind rarely stops blowing in Kansas, that’s actually not true. In fact, in Kansas the wind tends to blow the least when electricity demand in our service territory is the highest: the hot days of summer. Thus, Sunflower’s Board of Directors understands the advantages of owning and having access to a diverse generation resource portfolio in order to provide our members with reliable energy at the lowest possible cost. Sunflower is proud to be member biased, not resource biased, and we will continue to evaluate and incorporate generating resources that are in the best interest of our members and the thousands of Kansans they serve.
Smoky Hills Wind Farm
Phase I of the Smoky Hills Wind Farm entered service in February 2008 with a nameplate capacity rating of 100.8 MW.
Phase II of the Smoky Hills Wind Farm entered service in December 2008 with a nameplate capacity rating of 145.5 MW. Sunflower has a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a combined total of 74 MW of energy from both phases.
Phase 1 is comprised of 56 1.8 megawatt Vestas turbines that sit atop 80 meter (262 ft.) towers and feature blades of approximately 130 ft, longer than the wing of a Boeing 747 jetliner. Phase II is comprised of 99 1.8 megawatt Vestas turbines that have the same specifications as Phase I. Both phases, which total 20,000 acres along Interstate 70 in central Kansas, take only about two percent of land out of service.
TradeWind Energy developed this project for Enel Energy.
Smoky Hills Construction Photos
Shooting Star Wind Farm
In September 2011, a PPA was signed for entire 104 MW of wind energy and capacity from Infinity Wind Power’s Shooting Star Wind Farm, located in south central Kansas. Shooting Star Wind Farm, which consists of 65 GE XLE 1.6 MW turbines and covers approximately 11,000 acres of farmland, became fully operational in September 2012.
In September 2011, a PPA was signed for entire 104 MW of wind energy and capacity from Infinity Wind Power’s Shooting Star Wind Farm, located in south central Kansas. Shooting Star Wind Farm, which consists of 65 GE XLE 1.6 MW turbines and covers approximately 11,000 acres of farmland, became fully operational in September 2012.
Want To Know How Wind Power Works?
