86th largest plant in Colorado · 4241st nationally
Busch Ranch Wind Energy is a wind power plant in Colorado with a nameplate capacity of 29.0 MW. It generates roughly 85.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 8,117 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 34% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Busch Ranch Wind Energy |
|---|---|
| Operator | Black Hills Colorado Electric, Llc |
| City | Walsenburg |
| County | Huerfano County |
| State | Colorado |
| ZIP | 81089 |
| Coordinates | 37.80111, -104.49194 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTG | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 29.0 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hills Colorado Electric, Llc | Rapid City, SD | 5000.0% |
| Black Hills Electric Generation Llc | Rapid City, SD | 5000.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Public Service Company Of Colorado |
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%.