Judith Gap Wind Farm
"Montana's 'Gap' in wind production"
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Sept. 20, 2004, after approval from the Montana land board, Wind Park Solutions Arcadia and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation signed a lease allowing a portion of a proposed wind farm to be built on school trust lands south of Judith Gap.
On October 7, 2005, the Judith Gap Wind Farm was dedicated, and power production is expected to start in late 2005.
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Pouring concrete to make one of the 48-foot-diameter, 7-foot-deep wind tower foundations. |
The farm sits on both sides of Highway 191 between Harlowton and Judith Gap and 13 of the 90, 1.5 megawatt towers will be on state land. According to terms of the lease the project will contribute nearly $20,000 to the school trust for a one-time installation fee, and future revenues range from about $50,000 to 60,000 annually depending on the volume of power produced.
The power generation nacelles sit more than 250 feet in the air atop a column built of three, 85-foot segments. Each of the three fiberglass blades is 126 feet long, which means at the top of its arc, each blade tip will be nearly 400 feet in the air.
According to a wind power map for Montana, the wind farm is in a Class 4 and Class 5 wind area, with average wind speeds from 15.7 to 17.9 miles per hours at 50 meters (162.5 feet).
![A large crane puts the blades on Judith Gap Wind Farm tower number 96. [Sept. 1, 2005]](/trust/wind/images/large_crane.jpg) |
A large crane puts the blades on Judith Gap Wind Farm tower number 96. [Sept. 1, 2005] |
These types of turbines start spinning when the wind gets above about 6 miles per hour, and power production begins at 7.8 mph. Because of inconsistencies in the way the wind blows, wind turbines generally work at 30% of name plate capacity; these turbines run at maximum capacity at 33.5 mph. In high winds of 56 mph or more the turbines shut down to protect the turbine.
The project, which was developed in large part by Big Sandy, Mont., farmer Bob Quinn, was sold to Invenergy in early 2004. Invenergy is a Chicago-based "energy investment company focused on the development, acquisition and management of large-scale power generation assets."
![A side view of the 128-foot-long fiberglass blades, still in its green, metal shipping frame. [Sept. 1, 2005]](/trust/wind/images/blade.jpg) |
A side view of the 128-foot-long fiberglass blades, still in its green, metal shipping frame. [Sept. 1, 2005] |
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Bob Quinn speaks at the Judith Gap Wind Farm dedication, October 7, 2005. |
In March 2005 Invenergy got approval by a 4-1 vote from the Montana Public Service Commission to sell power to NorthWestern Energy, a critical component to the project's success. The 20-year contract has Invenergy selling their power to NorthWestern Energy for $31.75 per megawatt hour.
Upon completion the project anticipates generating about 150 megawatts of power from 90 turbines and will provide about 7 percent of the electricity needed to serve NorthWestern's 300,000 customers in Montana.
