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By Thad Warren
These elements make the great state of Texas the perfect location for America’s wind farms. In fact, the Lone Star State leads the list of the top states with the most wind capacity installed at 36,008.9 megawatts – 27% of the nation’s total. Keep reading to learn more about the biggest wind farms in Texas.
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“Los Vientos” is Spanish for “the winds,” and that’s precisely what this wind farm is known for. While most wind farms are located in North Texas, Los Vientos is situated in South Texas’ Starr County.
Construction began on Los Vientos in 2012 and was completed in August 2016. This plant features 400 turbines and generates enough power for 120,000 homes while supplying energy to cities like Garland, Greenville, and Bryan.
*Fun fact: Los Vientos wind energy also supplies energy to the Mars candy company.*
Roscoe Wind Farm is located outside of Abilene, Texas, but it sprawls across four counties and 100,000 acres of cotton country. Owned by German company RWE Renewables, Roscoe opened in 2009 and was the largest wind farm in the world at that time. The wind farm uses 627 turbines with an installed capacity of 782 MW to generate enough power for over 260,000 homes, making it one of the largest wind farms in Texas.
The Javelina Wind Energy Center, a sprawling 749 megawatt wind farm, is located in southeast Webb County and southwest Duval County, approximately 25 miles east of Laredo, Texas.
Developed collaboratively by Bordas Renewable Energy and NextEra Energy Resources, the project was executed in three phases and finished in 2015. By 2018, Javelina, along with neighboring wind farms, formed a continuous facility capable of generating over 1 gigawatt of electricity.
Completed in 2006, Horse Hollow spans 47,000 acres across Taylor and Nolan Counties in Texas. At the time, Horse Hollow was considered the largest wind farm in the world with 421 turbines.
However, that’s not what made Horse Hollow famous. It has the infamous distinction of the world’s first nuisance lawsuits over wind farms. Residents complained about the appearance and noise of the Horse Hollow turbines, but judges sided with the wind farm in each lawsuit.
Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm sprawls between Coke and Sterling Counties. First started in 2008, this was the first wind farm in the U.S. to fund the project with carbon offsets, which involves reducing carbon dioxide emissions or other greenhouse gasses as compensation for emissions made elsewhere. Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm provides enough energy for 220,000 homes, preventing over 160,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Peñascal Wind Farm, with a capacity of 605 megawatts, is situated south of Baffin Bay in Kenedy County, Texas. The project was developed in three phases by Iberdrola and Mortenson Construction. Following the completion of the second phase in 2010, it emerged as Iberdrola's largest renewable energy facility in the world.
Based in Nolan County, Texas, the Sweetwater Wind Farm started operating in 2007. Construction on the farm actually started in 2003, making Sweetwater one of the oldest wind farms in the U.S.
Boasting 392 turbines manufactured by GE Energy, Siemens, and Mitsubishi, stretching over 144 square miles of West Texas, Sweetwater was the biggest wind farm in Texas — and in the world — when it was built. This paved the way for larger, more innovative wind farms across the Texas landscape. Today, this 585-megawatt wind farm supplies energy to Austin and San Antonio.
The Buffalo Gap Wind Farm is located just south of Abilene in Nolan and Taylor counties. The project was commissioned in 2006 and was completed in September of 2008.
The electricity generated by the Buffalo Gap Wind Farm is sold to Direct Energy, which has a 15-year purchase agreement.
The Spinning Spur Wind Ranch, a 516-megawatt wind farm, stretches across the southern expanse of Oldham County in the northwest panhandle of Texas.
This project was a joint venture between Cielo Wind Power and EDF Renewable Energy, with three distinct phases of development that were completed and operational between 2012 and 2015.
The South Plains Wind Farm is a significant contributor to Texas's renewable energy landscape. Located between Floydada and South Plains on the Llano Estacado in Floyd County, this wind farm was completed in 2016. With a total generating capacity of 500 megawatts, South Plains Wind Farm plays a crucial role in harnessing the power of the wind to provide clean energy.
The Lone Star State isn’t known just for its vast oil fields; it’s the site of the modern energy revolution. Texas produced 27% of all wind energy in the U.S. in 2023 — a number that’s projected to grow even more as we build more turbines and perfect the technology. While non-renewable energy like coal is still big in the U.S., it’s clear that renewables have a very bright future.
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