Working in partnership with its member communities, American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) developed Ohio’s first utility-scale wind farm in Bowling Green, Ohio.
AMP Wind Farm
The AMP Wind Farm has a generating capacity of 5.4 megawatts (MW), consisting of three (originally four) 1.8-MW turbines. The city of Bowling Green is the largest recipient of generated power, accounting for the majority of the project’s total capacity.
AMP worked closely with the city of Bowling Green on the development of the wind farm. Bowling Green performed the original wind study that demonstrated the feasibility of the project.
Upon completion of two 1.8-MW units in November 2003, ownership was transferred to OMEGA JV6, with 10 participating member communities. Additional interest from project participants prompted the construction of two additional units in 2004, bringing the installation to a total of four units. One of the units was retired in 2021 bringing the current total to three units. The facility is used as an intermittent resource.
The turbines themselves rest atop 257-foot towers erected by Vestas American Wind Technology. With blades that extend 132 feet from the turbine casing, each unit measures nearly 400 feet tall when the blades rotate to their highest point.
AMP installed an information kiosk at the wind farm site to serve as an educational tool, providing information on the history of the project as well as further details on how the wind turbines operate.
The wind turbines are designed to run when wind speeds range between nine and 56 miles per hour and are able to withstand wind speeds of up to 133 mph. Optimal output is achieved by the turbines during wind speeds of 31.3 mph, a speed that will rotate the blades on each turbine 16.8 times per minute.
Sensors on each unit constantly monitor wind speed and aid in determining whether the units should be engaged. The high sensitivity of these sensors ensures that the turbines operate safely and maximize output by taking full advantage during periods when wind speeds are favorable. For nearly all wind farm installations, winter months provide the most favorable wind conditions and produce the greatest monthly yields. Historical data show the average for the AMP Wind Farm range from approximately 122,000 kWh per month generated in the summer to approximately 430,000 kWh per month generated in the winter, though these figures will change with the retirement of one of the turbines.
For more information about the AMP Wind Farm, please contact William Sandell, vice president of generation operations and development, at 614.540.6382 or [email protected].
* Note that AMP, on behalf of its members, sells all or a portion of the renewable energy certificates created by its renewable energy projects, power purchase agreements and joint ventures to help reduce its wholesale power costs.