Wind Turbines
Wind Farms
When several wind turbines are constructed over an area, a wind
facility is formed. Because many of the wind facilities in
Illinois are located in rural areas with land rented from farm owners, they
are better known as wind farms. Illinois was only generating 108
Megawatts (MW) of electricity in 2006.
By 2011, over 2,435 MW will be produced from hundreds of wind turbines.
Below is a list of current and proposed wind farms in Illinois.
You can also visit the tourism page to see where wind farms
are located on an Illinois map.
Existing Wind Farms (30)
| Project Name (Location) | Units (Power) | Active | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendota Hills (Lee County) |
63 Gamesa (51.6 MW) | 2003 | First wind farm constructed in Illinois |
| Bureau Valley School District (Bureau County) |
1 Vestas (0.66 MW) | 2004 | First public school to use wind power for electricity. Mascot: "The Storm" |
| Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative (IREC) (Pike County) |
1 Vestas (1.65 MW) | 2005 | First rural electric company to use wind power for electricity. Seeking to add additional turbines |
| Crescent Ridge (Bureau County) |
33 Vestas (50.54 MW) | 2005 | First of a two-phase project. Phase two is the Providence Heights Wind Farm |
| Twin Groves I and II (McLean County) |
240 Gamesa (396 MW) | 2007 and 2008 | Currently the largest project (both in number of turbines and power output) in Illinois |
| Sustainable Discovery Center (Sublette, IL) |
1 Clipper (2.5 MW) | 2007 | Museum dedicated to green energy initiatives. Building is LEED certified. Follow this link to the museum web site |
| GSG Wind Farm (Lee County) (LaSalle County) |
40 Gamesa (80 MW) | 2007 | |
| Camp Grove (Marshall County) (Stark County) |
100 GE Power (150 MW) | 2007 | |
| AgriWind (Bureau County) |
4 Suzlon (8.4 MW) | 2008 | Small communities and local electric utilities cooperate with landowners to meet local energy needs |
| Providence Heights (Bureau County) |
36 Gamesa (72 MW) | 2008 | Second phase of Crescent Ridge Wind Farm |
| Erie Community Unit School (Whiteside County) |
1 Vensys (1.2 MW) | 2008 | |
| Sherrard High School (Mercer County) |
1 Vestas (0.66 MW) | 2008 | |
| Grand Ridge I, II, III, and IV (LaSalle County) |
140 GE Energy (210 MW) | 2008 and 2009 | |
|
Great Escape Restaurant (Schiller Park, IL) |
1 custom "Big Windy" (108 kW) | 2009 | First wind turbine in Cook County; first wind turbine in an urban area |
| Aldridge Electric (Lake County) |
1 custom (50 kW) | 2009 | |
| City of Geneseo (Geneseo, IL) |
2 Vensys (3 MW) | 2009 | |
| Gob Nob (Montgomery County) |
1 Emergya (0.9 MW) | 2009 | |
| Rail Splitter (Tazewell County) |
67 GE Energy (100.5 MW) | 2009 | |
| Eco Grove (Stephenson County) |
67 Acciona (100.5 MW) | 2009 | |
| Top Crop (LaSalle County) |
68 GE Energy (102 MW) | 2009 | |
| Richland Community College (Decatur, IL) |
1 Northern Power Systems (0.1 MW) | 2009 | |
| Lee / DeKalb Wind Farm (Lee County) (DeKalb County) |
151 GE Energy (226.5 MW) | 2009 | |
| Porta High School (Menard County) |
1 custom (0.6 MW) | 2009 | |
| Other World Computing (Woodstock, IL) |
1 Vestas (0.5 MW) | 2009 | |
| Arends Brothers (Melvin, IL) |
1 Northern Power Systems (0.1 MW) | 2009 | |
| Cayuga Ridge South Wind Farm (Livingston County) |
150 Gamesa (300 MW) | 2010 |
Wind Farms Under Construction (3)
| Project Name (Location) | Units (Power) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Big Sky Wind Facility (Bureau County) (Lee County) |
114 Suzlon (239.4 MW) | Estimated completion date: 2011 |
| Top Crop II (LaSalle County) |
132 GE Energy (198 MW) | |
| White Oak (McLean County) |
100 GE Energy (150 MW) |
