Wind Power | Fowler Ridge Wind Farm
The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is currently under construction in Benton County, Indiana. It is a wind energy project that is going to be completed in two phases and will have a maximum electricity capacity of 750MW. The first phase of the project will bring the first 400MW on-line with hopes that this part of the project will be completed by the end of 2008.
Phase I of the project will consist of 222 wind turbines with construction of the remaining wind turbines (350MW worth) possibly beginning in early 2009. The site of the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is around 90 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
The project development, ownership and operational control is being done in a joint partnership between Dominion and BP Renewable Energy North America for 650MW of the produced electricity. BP will retain control over the remaining 100MW.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:28 am
i think wind power is the most importnat new alternative energy and has great potential.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Indiana isn’t very windy. It’s listed as having a statewide wind potential of 30 MW. What’s going to power 750 MW of turbines?
September 12th, 2008 at 4:48 am
We visited the wind farm last Saturday and the first thing that came to my mind was::: how do we keep airplanes from bumping into the windmills? Are they lighted or is that area a no-fly zone? jkw
October 7th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Benton County, home of the Fowler Ridge Wind farm, is also home to another wind farm of about 70 turbine around Earl Park. That wind farm has been fully operational since May 2008. The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm will consist of 222 wind turbines, 182 Vestas V82-1.65MW turbines and 40 Clipper C-96 2.5MW[1] turbines. Wind Turbine will have lights on them. I am proud to call Benton County my home!
October 7th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
The source of my last statement was BP’s website http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9024973&contentId=7047770
November 20th, 2008 at 6:49 am
If you think it is not windy come to benton county
December 16th, 2008 at 6:04 am
My mother works for the company thats putting them up, i have been there a few times and they all are lighted at night.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I hear that the wind farm was expected to be fully operationally from last part of 2008. Do any of you know if it really is online now?
February 14th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
@Magnus: I haven’t seen or heard any news announcing that the first phase of the project has moved online.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I drive by them on I-65 everyday and it’s a great sight to see. I can see them turning around sunset and then later at night with all the red lights blinking together. It’s awesome! Is it windy? Oh yeah. It’s flat as a pancake in that area and nothing to stop the wind. I think they should put a ton of them in North Dakota. There’s nothing there and LOTS of wind!
April 20th, 2009 at 5:09 am
I have been very impressed every time I see it when I take my son to Purdue.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I see them ,and think it’s about time they put up more. iv’e heard that they are going togo up in jasper county as well
September 15th, 2009 at 6:08 am
I drove past the wind farm over the weekend. Who repairs the gearboxes when they fail? Does anyone know? I have a position open right now for someone that knows how to repair wind turbine gearboxes. Can any give me some contact info on where I might find this guy?
September 26th, 2009 at 4:38 am
Phil,
RMT, Inc out of Madison Wisconsin is the contractor on the site doing the construction a.k.a. Wind Connect. They can probably hook you up with the on site manufacturer’s rep. Typically the manufacturer will take this on during the first few years of operation. There are also schools located in Iowa and Texas for Turbine Techs. You might find a tech through them. The home office in Madison can put you in contact with the site in Indiana and just about anyone there can put you in contact with who you are looking for.
October 17th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Hello, I’m in Lafayette, and was told by several people earlier this week that when they went by none of the blades were turning!?! What I need to know is how do I find out in advance of driving up if the turbines are “on”? I have a 4×5 view camera as well as a 35mm…I don’t want to waste the gas! I don’t suppose they have a webcam or other website to show it’s operational at any given time….thanx alot Bob email me @ robert.naville@comcast.net appreciate it!
October 27th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Can anyone please tell me a way to schedule a tour of the facilities? I am head of an organaization at Purdue University which is just down the road. My colleagues and I would appreciate any info. We are all members of the Technology Educators Collegiate Association.
Thank you
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:34 am
I am from West Lafayette and I worked on the first phase of the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm. As far as the wind, it only takes about a 6.7 mph to start a Vestas V82 turbine, which isn’t very windy for having a hub height of 256 feet. Nominal wind speed is 29 mph. Cut out wind speed is around 44 mph. As far as lights, there are FAA lights on them. Not every turbine has a light, but they have areas laid out. Also, I beleive the wind farm might be a restricted flight area.
December 30th, 2009 at 2:50 am
Does anyone know who the contractor is that is building or errecting this wind farm? Is it on-line yet?
This information would be very helpful….Thanks!!
March 24th, 2010 at 5:46 am
I would like to speak with people who live in and around the Benton county wind farm. BP is planning a wind farm right where I live. I may end up living among the turbines. This is frightening to me, especially the blinking lights and 500 foot turbines just 800 feet from my front door. Have home prices been affected? What is it like to live among the turbines. The blinking lights, the noise, the vibration. Should I sell my house or is it livable?
April 9th, 2010 at 6:44 am
To Libby and people like her with concerns about the windmills.
I can tell you about the sound. I live within 2,000 feet of three wind turbines and YES there is sound. My husband and I both have hearing problems and we both find the noise un-natural and un-welcome. We hear them from inside the house as well. We will never again have those dark peaceful summer nights. The cyclical droning of machines with glaring and never ending red flashing lights are here for the rest of our livs. I live on the western edge of the Benton Co wind farm so I still have a clear view of the beautiful Illinois countryside which is not yet littered with these machines. I have always appreciated my wonderful country side; now more than ever. Property value I am sure will be affected. Like everyone else we were counting on our home equity to supplement retirement plans. Sadly those are the immediate AND obvious drawbacks to having turbines in your back yard. On the flip side my grand-children’s father earns his living working for the maintenance company; and he loves it. This is a bittersweet situation. I would caution about throwing windmills up just anywhere; urge Congress to support alternative fuels, research for other viable renewable energies and lets not put all of the energy eggs in one basket.
Write your congressman to put pressure on all energy companies to find cleaner ways to produce power.
May 9th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Libby,
The wind turbines are very quiet. They do not make a lot of noise. There is no vibration. The turbines won’t be 500 ft, they don’t have clearance in the US to erect them that tall. (They can’t transport them on the highways, they are too large, but in Europe they are that large in some places.) The lights are on the top of the turbines, but not on each one.. they are on every third one I believe. The ones I saw are just red lights that glow on for a little bit then go out and then glow again… they weren’t blinking or flashing lights. They are actually really cool to see. There is something scenic about these giant structures… and the best part is that they generate clean energy which is far better than having a smoke stack polluting the air and water behind your house!
Hope this has helped a bit.
May 30th, 2010 at 1:19 am
Dear Libby,
You have nothing to worry about. My wife and I used to live in New Jersey and now live in Iowa. There is Wind Farms everywhere here. The blinking lights will not bother you there really only visible from in the air or from far away not being close to them. As for the noise and vibration there is barely any of this.