NextEra Energy Resources LLC and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week at the repowered Vasco Wind Energy Center, located in the Altamont Pass wind resource area, about 40 miles east of San Francisco.
The 78.2 MW Vasco Wind Energy Center comprises 34 Siemens 2.3 MW wind turbines. To make room for the new wind turbines, a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary removed nearly 440 operating wind turbines, 286 foundations of non-operating sites, 180 power poles and more than 6.5 miles of overhead power lines.
After the repowering, the nameplate capacity of the Vasco Wind Energy Center is the same - at 78.2 MW - but the turbines are about twice as efficient, according to NextEra.
"The Vasco Wind project is a good example of replacing older turbine technology with new, more efficient models, which can better harness this renewable resource to generate much more clean electricity,” says Fong Wan, PG&E’s senior vice president of energy procurement.
