In 2021, Wind power in Vermont consisted of five utility-scale wind farms with a total capacity of 149 megawatts (MW). They were responsible for one-sixth of in-state electricity generation in 2019.[1]

The locations of Vermont wind farms
Deerfield
Deerfield
Georgia Mountain
Georgia Mountain
Kingdom
Kingdom
Searsburg
Searsburg
Sheffield
Sheffield
Wind power projects in Vermont
  Operating
  Proposed
1941 wind turbine on Grandpa's Knob
Vermont wind resources

No other wind farms are in the pipeline as of January 2020.[2]

The first megawatt turbine in the world was installed in Vermont, at Grandpa's Knob in 1941.[3]

Wind farms

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Name Capacity
(MW)
Location
(county)
Status
Deerfield 30 Bennington County Operating
Georgia Mountain 10 Chittenden County
Franklin County
Operating
Kingdom Community 63 Orleans County Operating
Searsburg   6 Bennington County Operating
Sheffield 40 Caledonia County Operating
Total: 149  

The 6 MW Searsburg Wind Farm has operated since 1997. The 550-kilowatt turbines provide enough electricity to meet the needs of 1,600 average Vermont households.[4]

Sheffield Wind Farm is a 40 MW wind farm operating in Sheffield originally developed by First Wind and currently owned by TerraForm Power.[5]

The 63 MW Kingdom Community Wind Farm is operational on Lowell Mountains ridge in Lowell, owned by Green Mountain Power (GMP) and Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC).[6] Costing $156 million,[7] the 21-turbine project began construction in September 2011, with completion expected by the end of 2012.[8][9]

Georgia Mountain Community Wind Project is a 4-turbine, 10-megawatt wind project on Georgia Mountain in the towns of Georgia and Milton.[10] It is owned by a Vermont family and the power is being sold to the Burlington Electric Department.[11] It was completed in December 2012. The project’s 4 wind turbines will provide enough electricity to meet the needs of 4,200 average Vermont households.[4]

Small wind turbines

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Several 100 kW wind turbines manufactured by a Vermont company have been installed or planned at locations in the state, including Heritage Aviation, Bolton Ski Area, Dynapower, Rock of Ages, Burke Mountain, and the Lake Champlain Ferry at South Hero. Smaller wind turbines for residential use are also located throughout Vermont.[4]

Generation

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Total wind generation by year[12]
Year GWh
2001 12.1
2002 10.3
2003 10.8
2004 11.3
2005 11.5
2006 10.7
2007 10.5
2008 10.2
2009 11.6
2010 13.9
2011 33.2
2012 106.9
2013 236
2014 311.3
2015 325.3
2016 291.2
2017 305.4
2018 373.3
2019 384
Vermont Wind Generation Capacity by Year
Megawatts of Wind Capacity[12]

Proposals

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The 30 MW Deerfield Wind Project is a proposed wind farm set to be located in Searsburg and Readsboro, and to include 15 turbines. It is estimated to provide enough electricity to meet the needs of 13,000 average Vermont households, and that it will create approximately 250 jobs during its construction and 9 when it starts operating. It is expected to contribute $10 million in state Education Fund revenues over its 20-year life.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ eia.gov: Vermont state profile and energy estimates
  2. ^ Burlington Free Press: Where are Vermont wind projects and why did development stop? 27 January 2020
  3. ^ Efficieny Vermont: Wind Energy
  4. ^ a b c d NRG Systems. "Wind in Vermont".
  5. ^ "Welcome to Sheffield Wind". First Wind. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Kingdom Community Wind". Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  7. ^ Gram, Dave (September 29, 2011). "Anti-wind occupation begins on Vt. Lowell Mountain". Associated Press (AP). Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  8. ^ "Construction begins on 63MW wind farm in Vermont". BrighterEnergy.com. September 12, 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  9. ^ Smith, Robin (October 4, 2011). "Lowell Wind Road Construction Continues". Orleans County Record. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  10. ^ "Where Are We?". Georgia Mountain Community Wind. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  11. ^ "What Are We?". Georgia Mountain Community Wind. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  12. ^ a b WINDExchange: U.S. Installed and Potential Wind Power Capacity and Generation
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