EDP Renewables North America said it finished a repowering project at the Blue Canyon II Wind Farm in Carnegie, Oklahoma.
The company said 73 of Blue Canyon II’s 84 turbines were repowered, along with each turbine’s nacelle, blades and top tower section. The turbines were upgraded from V80 1.8 MW machines to V110 2 MW machines from Vestas. One of EDP’s short-term priorities is the adoption of blade recycling practices across its projects.
Wind repowering enables owners to retrofit power plants on existing sites with new or refurbished technology, including erecting taller, more efficient wind turbines to increase productivity. Repowered projects can often have further cost-saving advantages by using existing grid connections and infrastructure.
Replacing old wind turbines has other benefits beyond cost and productivity gains, including decreased noise and the potential to lessen impacts to local wildlife, according to a study by the International Energy Agency and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
EDP Renewables said its repowering project is expected to increase power production more than 30% annually and extend the project’s life an additional 20 to 30 years. Blue Canyon II came online in 2003.
The largest wind farm in Oklahoma, the 423 MW Blue Canyon Wind Farm includes four phases: a 45-turbine farm, 55-turbine farm, 66-turbine farm, and 84-turbine farm. Its generation is equivalent to the consumption of more than 94,000 homes in the state. The project spans Caddo, Comanche, and Kiowa counties west of Oklahoma City.
EDP Renewables also operates the 100 MW Arbuckle Mountain in Murray and Carter Counties midway between Oklahoma City and Dallas, and the 99 MW Redbed Plains Wind Farm in Grady County, southwest of Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma ranks third among U.S. states in installed wind power capacity with 9,048 MW, according to U.S. Department of Energy statistics. Texas ranks in first with 33,133 MW and Iowa is third with 11,660 MW.
