22nd largest plant in Nebraska · 1817th nationally
Sholes Wind Energy Center is a wind power plant in Nebraska with a nameplate capacity of 160 MW. It generates roughly 700.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 66,731 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 50% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Sholes Wind Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sholes Wind Energy Center, Llc |
| City | Randolph |
| County | Wayne County |
| State | Nebraska |
| ZIP | 68771 |
| Coordinates | 42.31190, -97.36470 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSN1 | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 160 MW | Operating | 2019 |
| 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%.