By Pete Gawda
The Golden West Wind Farm project in Calhan began generating electricity in October 2015. According to gridinfo.com (provider of data on electric generation), it is rated fourth out of 34 Colorado wind power plants.
The Golden West Wind Energy Center, owned by NextEra Energy Partners, is the world’s largest generator of solar and wind energy. NextEra also owns Florida Power & Light.
Chris Curtland, NextEra spokesman, said the 15,519-acre site contains 145 turbines. While these turbines generate enough electricity to power about 74,700 homes, none of this electricity is used locally. The power generated by Golden West is sold to Xcel Energy, which provides electricity to residential and commercial customers in eight states, including Colorado, from its headquarters in Minneapolis. However, the electricity generated by Golden West is not distributed in the immediate area. Spokespersons for both Colorado Springs Utilities and Mountain View Electric Cooperative confirmed that their organizations do not purchase electricity from Xcel Energy. Colorado Springs Utilities does use electricity produced by the nearby Grazing Yak Solar Project, which is also owned by NextEra.
According to a fact sheet supplied by NextEra, a computer turns the blades of the turbine into the wind. As the blades turn, they generate electricity. The electricity travels down the inside of the tower through electrical cables to a transformer at the base of the wind tower and then through underground cables to an on-site substation. Through high-voltage transmission lines, the electricity then travels to local distribution lines for delivery to users.
The fact sheet also states that the wind farm adds to the county’s tax base and provides lease payments to landowners. Curtland said another economic incentive is that there are roughly 10 full-time employees operating the wind farm. There are positive environmental effects as well; the turbines create no air or water pollution, use no water and allow the land to remain agricultural.
