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Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center

Wind power plant in South Dakota, United States of America. Approximate location 45.1549, -96.8368.

WindSouth DakotaUnited States of America

Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center is a 200 MW wind power station in South Dakota, United States of America. It is operated by Crowned Ridge Wind LLC. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 170k homes (estimated). It ranks #2001 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2020, it is around 6 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 10.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

200Source-backed capacity
170,279homes powered (est.)
2020commissioned (~6 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0060503.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCrowned Ridge Wind Energy Center WRI
CountryUnited States of America · South Dakota WRI
Coordinates45.1549, -96.8368 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity200 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCrowned Ridge Wind LLC WRI
Commissioned2020 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2001 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#145 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.96× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent170,279 calculated
Climate6.3°C · HDD 4,479 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 200 MW, Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center is well above the median wind plant in United States of America (68 MW). Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest wind plants in United States of America

Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center: 733 MW733Horse Holl…Capricorn Ridge Wind LLC: 662 MW662Capricorn …Fowler Ridge Wind Farm LLC: 600 MW600Fowler Rid…Rush Creek Wind: 600 MW600Rush Creek…Orient Wind Farm: 501 MW501Orient Win…Highland Wind Project (IA): 497 MW497Highland W…Rolling Hills Wind Farm: 484 MW484Rolling Hi…Hale Community Wind Farm: 478 MW478Hale Commu…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Crowned Ridge Wind LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.3°Cannual mean temp
4,479heating degree-days (base 18°C)
240cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
463 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -12 °CJF: -8 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 8 °CON: -1 °CND: -9 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 82% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 90/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
33.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
557 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #145 largest wind power plant of 1139 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1139 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 104,873 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 45.1549, -96.8368 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center?

Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center is a 200 MW source-record wind power plant in South Dakota, United States of America, commissioned in 2020.

How many homes can Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 170,279 homes (estimated).

Who operates Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center?

Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center is operated by Crowned Ridge Wind LLC.

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