82nd largest plant in Iowa · 2586th nationally
Crane Creek Wind Energy Center is a wind power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 99.0 MW. It generates roughly 282.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 26,877 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 33% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Crane Creek Wind Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Wisconsin Public Service Corp |
| City | Riceville |
| County | Howard County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 50466 |
| Coordinates | 43.39778, -92.47361 |
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 | 99.0 MW | Operating | 2009 |
| 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%.