Wind EnergyAs of September 2009, U.S. wind capacity reached

more than 29,000 megawatts (MW), achieving in a few years what had previously taken two decades – the installation of more than 10,000 MW of wind power capacity in the United States. This 29,440 MW of wind energy generators provides enough energy to serve close to 8.5 million American homes with a clean, inexhaustible, homegrown source of energy. A U.S. Department of Energy study released in 2008 found that wind could provide 20 percent of U.S. electricity by 2030. At that level, wind power would support 500,000 jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as taking 140 million vehicles off the road. Today, Denmark and many regions of Germany and Spain meet between 10 percent and 25 percent of their electricity needs from wind energy. By contrast, wind power supplies less than three percent of America’s current electricity needs. America’s wind resource is vast and could contribute toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy mix.

(Sources: Iberdrola Renewables, American Wind Energy Association,

U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership)

How does it work?The rotor blades of a wind turbine work

somewhat like the wings of an airplane. As air passes over the specially designed blades, “lift” is created. This lift, in turn, sends the blades spinning in a circular motion, which drives an electric generator. When winds reach about 8 miles per hour, the rotor is engaged, and the wind turbine begins producing power.

For more information contact Lamar Chamber of Commerce Phone: 719-336-4379 www.lamarchamber.com Colorado Welcome Center 109 East Beech St. Lamar, CO 81052 Phone: 719-336-3483 Email: lamarwc@bresnan.net

Power up with the wind!What better place to harvest the wind than the

windy prairies of southeastern Colorado? Dotted over the years by a variety of historic water-pumping windmills used by pioneers when settling in this part of the country, today the area blends its historic past with a progressive future. The Colorado Green project resides on about 11,000 acres used as a working cattle ranch, while the Twin Buttes project occupies 9,000 acres. In both cases, less than 2 percent of the project’s

land area is used by the actual footprint of the wind turbines, leaving most of the land available for other purposes, including ranching and grazing – or, as the ranchers tell the story, the space used by the wind turbines translates to one less cow. In addition, Lamar Light & Power (LL&P) is generating power from two 1.5 MW GE wind turbines owned by ARPA and three 1.5 MW GE wind turbines owned by LL&P. Traveling south from Lamar on Highway 287, the municipal utilities’ project can be seen

on the left (east) about 15 miles outside of Lamar. This project benefited from economies of scale and training availability from the larger nearby Colorado Green project. Fueled by Colorado’s winds, Prowers and Bent counties’ new wind projects generate income for local farmers, boost the local tax base, attract tourists and use the clean, green power of the wind to deliver electricity to Colorado consumers.

A self-guided tour of the Colorado Green and Twin Buttes Wind Power Projects

and Area Attractions

Colorado Green and Twin ButtesWind Power Projects

Local Attractions/SitesProwers and Bent counties offer an

abundance of interesting scenic and

educational attractions.

Here are just a few...

Colorado Green Wind Power Project

20 miles south of Lamar

Twin Buttes Wind Power Project

29 miles south of Lamar

Lamar Chamber and Colorado Welcome Center

Main and Beech streets

Ball Field Complex, south end of Lamar

High Plains Reservoirs (birdwatching)

20 miles north on Hwy. 287

John Martin Reservoir (birdwatching)

20 miles west on Hwy. 50

Lamar Community Building, Pearl and 6th streets

Sand Creek Massacre, 40 miles northeast of Lamar

Lamar Swimming Pool, west on Parkway Drive

Lamar Community College, South Main on Hwy. 287

Two wind power projects – right here in Prowers and Bent counties!

Humans have used the power of the wind for thousands of years. Wind-powered boats sailed the waters and mills ground grain into flour and pumped water from the ground. Today, here in Prowers and Bent counties, wind powers two of Colorado’s wind farms, the 162-megawatt Colorado Green Wind Power Project and the Twin Buttes Wind Power Project. Both were developed to help meet Colorado’s demand for clean, renewable energy with the electricity going to Colorado customers of Xcel Energy. The Colorado Green project uses 108 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines, and the new Twin Buttes project uses 50 of the same type of turbines. The Colorado Green project is owned by Iberdrola Renewables and Shell WindEnergy, Inc. in a 50/50 joint venture. Iberdrola Renewables alone owns the Twin Buttes project.

The Colorado Green development was born through a competitive bidding process initiated by Public Service of Colorado in which it competed with other forms of electricity generation including natural gas and coal-fired generation, and was found to be the lowest-cost alternative.

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Arkansas River

CAMP AMACHE17 miles East

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Willow Creek Park,

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Bent’s Old Fort, 40 miles west on Hwy. 50

Big Timbers Museum, north of Lamar at the curve

Camp Amache, 17 miles east on Hwy. 50

Madonna of the Trail Statue, Main and Beech streets

Pike’s Tower, south end of Willow Creek Park

Santa Fe Trail, just north of the Arkansas River

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Lamar, Colorado

Photo by Chana Reed

Colorado Green Turbine Trivia

One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity

to serve 250 to 300 homes on average each day.

Turbine Height: 389 feet – taller than a 30-story building!

The GE 1.5 MW wind turbines make one revolution

every 2 to 3 seconds.

Each wind turbine has a rotor diameter of 231 ft., 10

percent longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747-400

jumbo jet.

Wind power provides insurance against volatility in natural

gas prices, because the cost of power from a wind farm is

stable over time and not affected by swings in fuel prices.

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Photo by Chana Reed

Photo by Chana Reed

Photo by Mary Root