A wind farm is a group of wind turbines that generate electricity in a common location. A wind farm may also be called a wind power station, a wind power plant, or a wind park. A wind farm may range from a few turbines with a combined capacity of a few megawatts (MW) to several hundred turbines with combined capacity in the thousands of MW. Most land-based wind farms in the United States range in capacity from 50 MW to 100 MW. In the United States almost all wind farms are located onshore, but in Europe a number of offshore wind farms are in operation.
Wind farms are located based on the availability of wind resource measured by average wind speed, topography and potential barriers to wind, the availability of transmission lines to deliver the power to load centers, access for construction and maintenance, ownership of land, suitability of land use, and availability of permits.
based on annual average wind speed (in meters per second) at 80 meters above the surface. Source: NREL.gov
As of 2020, the world’s largest (total capacity) wind farms are:
|
Jiuquan Wind Power Base, China |
7,065 MW |
|
Jaisalmer Wind Park, India |
1,600 MW |
|
Alta Wind Center, California, U.S. |
1,548 MW |
|
Muppandal Wind Farm, India |
1,500 MW |
|
Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, Oregon, U.S. |
845 MW |
|
Roscoe Wind Farm, Texas, U.S. |
782 MW |
|
Horse Hollow Wind Farm, Texas, U.S. |
736 MW |
|
Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm, Texas, U.S. |
663 MW |
|
Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm, U.K. |
659 MW |
|
London Array Offshore Wind Farm, U.K. |
630 MW |