56th largest plant in Missouri · 3561st nationally
Cow Branch is a wind power plant in Missouri with a nameplate capacity of 50.4 MW. It generates roughly 92.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 8,790 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 21% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Cow Branch |
|---|---|
| Operator | Cow Branch Wind Power, Llc |
| City | Tarkio |
| County | Atchison County |
| State | Missouri |
| ZIP | 64491 |
| Coordinates | 40.45350, -95.46830 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 50.4 MW | Operating | 2008 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Associated Electric Cooperative, 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%.