• 1.5 megawatt wind turbine
• Expected to output around 30% of its rated capacity per year since wind does not blow all the time in this area.
• Became operational in October 2009.
• From October 2009 through March 11, 2010, the turbine generated 800,000 kWhrs (kilowatt hours).
• It has run for about 2,200 hours of the available 3,000 hours or about 73% of the time.
• The turbine blades turn from winds as slow as six and a half mph and continue through about 40 miles per hour (mph) when it shuts itself off.
• Payback period is at least 15 years.
• The $1.8 million wind turbine has a life expectancy of 30 years.

Background

• Minnesota is the third largest producer of wind energy in the nation, behind Texas and California.
• An anemometer was installed on SMSC land in 2001 to collect wind data.
• The data collected since 2001 shows a range from 0 to over 25 mph wind with an average speed of 11 mph at an elevation of 164 feet.
• Federal aviation requirements due to the nearby Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, mandated the maximum height at the tip of the blade at 1,340 feet above sea level.
• Energy created by the turbine is metered as it enters the nearby Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) substation where it is certified as a renewable energy source and sold by Basin Energy on the open market.
• The value of the generated energy is offset against SMSC energy costs.
• MVEC installed two transformers and a meter/controller to get the power matched to the substation needs.   
• About twice a year maintenance is required.
• Ground site preparation was completed when the foundation ring was installed and buried 12 feet underground in August 2009. It was later covered with sod.

Dimensions

• The foundation ring is 14.76 feet by 9.84 feet, with a weight of 14.3 tons.
• The center hub stands 262.4 feet tall and is visible for miles around.
• The hub is 13.45 feet by 13.45 feet by 11.48 feet and weighs 17.19 tons.
• The turbine nacelle (generator housing) weighs 57.3 tons without the blades. 
• The nacelle is 31.18 feet by 12.46 feet by 13.12 feet.
• The three blades are 123 feet each in length by 7.35 feet by 9.84 feet and weigh 6.6 tons each.
• When assembled in the hub, the diameter of the circle created by the blades is about 77 meters, or 247 feet.
• The 252.3 feet tall steel tower is tubular shaped and weighs 135.9 tons.
• Maximum height at the tip of the blade is 1,340 feet above sea level.
• At 386 feet from foundation to the tip of a blade fully extended vertically, the wind turbine has the equivalent height of a 38-story building.

Manufacturing

• Changzhou Railcar Propulsion Engineering Research and Development Center of Changzou, China, built the SMSC wind turbine.
• Vendor selected due to ability to provide wind turbine at best price and quickest delivery time.
• Components were shipped over a seven week voyage first to Shanghai and then to Houston, Texas, where it was loaded onto trucks for its overland journey.
• About 72 hours were needed for the pieces to be transported from Houston to Minnesota.
•  From port the wind turbine components traveled about 1,200 miles on nine different trucks.
• A team of four engineers traveled to Minnesota from China for the assembly, testing, and commissioning of the wind turbine.

Assembly

• Once all the parts arrived, it took about two days to assemble using a 600 ton capacity crane with 335 feet of boom.
• It took about 50 hours to assemble the wind turbine start to finish.
• About 400 man hours were needed.
• Diversified Energy Solutions of Gary, South Dakota, installed the wind turbine.
• October 3-4, 2009, the SMSC wind turbine was assembled under cold and rainy skies.
• Commissioning of the wind turbine took several weeks.

Other

• The SMSC turbine has an Arctic Kit with internal heaters, gearbox heaters, and insulation for all parts to survive the harsh Minnesota winters.
• Several hundred of this model (FD-77-1500 60 IIIA) are running in Mongolia, which has a Siberia-like climate.
• The SMSC wind turbine is believed to be the tallest wind turbine in the metropolitan area.