161st largest plant in Minnesota · 6299th nationally
Carleton College is a wind power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 7.8 MW. It generates roughly 4.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 388 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 6% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 26 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Carleton College |
|---|---|
| Operator | Carleton College |
| City | Northfield |
| County | Rice County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55057 |
| Coordinates | 44.46191, -93.15639 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.3 MW | Standby | 2009 |
| GEN2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.3 MW | Standby | 2009 |
| WIND1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 1.6 MW | Operating | 2004 |
| WIND2 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 1.6 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| CO₂ | 52 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 1 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 26 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| 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%.