40th largest plant in Minnesota · 2357th nationally
Buffalo Ridge Wind is a wind power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 106 MW. It generates roughly 427.6k MWh per year — enough to power about 40,719 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 46% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Buffalo Ridge Wind |
|---|---|
| Operator | Buffalo Ridge Wind, Llc |
| City | Lake Benton |
| County | Lincoln County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 56419 |
| Coordinates | 44.42306, -96.29722 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3161 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 106 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Wind farms harvest kinetic energy from moving air using large rotor blades coupled to generators. Like solar, they produce zero emissions but vary with weather. Onshore wind capacity factors typically run 30–45%; offshore can exceed 50%.