88th largest plant in Minnesota · 4367th nationally
Taconite Ridge 1 Wind Energy Center is a wind power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 25.0 MW. It generates roughly 47.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 4,510 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 22% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Taconite Ridge 1 Wind Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Allete, Inc. |
| City | Mountain Iron |
| County | St Louis County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55768 |
| Coordinates | 47.57470, -92.59170 |
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 | 25.0 MW | Operating | 2008 |
| 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%.