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Hilltopper Wind Project

Wind power plant in Illinois, United States of America. Approximate location 39.9529, -89.3102.

WindIllinoisUnited States of America

Hilltopper Wind Project is a 185 MW wind power station in Illinois, United States of America. It is operated by Hilltopper Wind Project LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 591 GWh, it can supply roughly 169k homes. It ranks #2109 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2019, it is around 7 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).

185Source-backed capacity
591GWh reported / yr
168,857homes powered
2019commissioned (~7 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0061735.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHilltopper Wind Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Illinois WRI
Coordinates39.9529, -89.3102 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity185 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHilltopper Wind Project LLC WRI
Commissioned2019 WRI
GWh reported / yr591 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2109 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#203 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.73× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent168,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.3°C · HDD 2,948 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 33/100 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 185 MW, Hilltopper Wind Project 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 Hilltopper Wind Project LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.3°Cannual mean temp
2,948heating degree-days (base 18°C)
527cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
181 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -1 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 13 °CON: 6 °CND: -1 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 20% 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: 61/100 — this site sits in the mid 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)
33/100environmental-severity index
28.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
297 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 #203 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 39.9529, -89.3102 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hilltopper Wind Project?

Hilltopper Wind Project is a 185 MW source-record wind power plant in Illinois, United States of America, commissioned in 2019.

How much electricity does Hilltopper Wind Project generate?

Hilltopper Wind Project generates about 591 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Hilltopper Wind Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 168,857 homes.

Who operates Hilltopper Wind Project?

Hilltopper Wind Project is operated by Hilltopper Wind Project LLC.

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