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Kit Carson Windpower

Wind power plant in Colorado, United States of America. Approximate location 39.3383, -102.3533.

WindColoradoUnited States of America

Kit Carson Windpower is a 51 MW wind power plant in Colorado, United States of America. It is operated by Kit Carson Windpower LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 165 GWh, it can supply roughly 47k homes. It ranks #3661 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2010, it is around 16 years old — relatively modern. 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).

51Source-backed capacity
165GWh reported / yr
47,085homes powered
2010commissioned (~16 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0057244.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKit Carson Windpower WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Colorado WRI
Coordinates39.3383, -102.3533 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity51 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerKit Carson Windpower LLC WRI
Commissioned2010 WRI
GWh reported / yr165 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3661 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#617 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.75× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent47,085 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.5°C · HDD 3,121 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 38/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000906705); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 51 MW, Kit Carson Windpower is below 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 183 GWh20132014: 193 GWh20142015: 171 GWh20152016: 185 GWh20162017: 176 GWh20172018: 179 GWh20182019: 165 GWh2019193 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Kit Carson Windpower LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.5°Cannual mean temp
3,121heating degree-days (base 18°C)
392cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,268 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 11 °CON: 4 °CND: -1 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 27% 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: 66/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
25.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
1297 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 #617 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 39.3383, -102.3533 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kit Carson Windpower?

Kit Carson Windpower is a 51 MW source-record wind power plant in Colorado, United States of America, commissioned in 2010.

How much electricity does Kit Carson Windpower generate?

Kit Carson Windpower generates about 165 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Kit Carson Windpower power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 47,085 homes.

Who operates Kit Carson Windpower?

Kit Carson Windpower is operated by Kit Carson Windpower LLC.

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