28th largest plant in Nebraska · 2709th nationally
Cottonwood Wind Energy Center is a wind power plant in Nebraska with a nameplate capacity of 89.7 MW. It generates roughly 410.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 39,047 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 52% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Cottonwood Wind Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Cottonwood Wind Project |
| City | Blue Hill |
| County | Webster County |
| State | Nebraska |
| ZIP | 68930 |
| Coordinates | 40.24017, -98.40596 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTNWD | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 89.7 MW | Operating | 2017 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Southwest Power Pool |
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%.