Minonk Wind Farm

Wind power plant in Illinois, United States of America. Approximate location 40.8886, -88.9972.

WindIllinoisUnited States of America

Minonk Wind Farm is a 200 MW wind power station in Illinois, United States of America. It is operated by Algonquin Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 655 GWh, it can supply roughly 187k homes. It ranks #2030 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 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).

200Source-backed capacity
655GWh reported / yr
187,028homes powered
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0057284.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMinonk Wind Farm WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Illinois WRI
Coordinates40.8886, -88.9972 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity200 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAlgonquin Power Co WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI
GWh reported / yr655 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2030 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#171 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.95× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent187,028 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.3°C · HDD 3,228 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 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, Minonk Wind Farm 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 622 GWh20132014: 648 GWh20142015: 639 GWh20152016: 636 GWh20162017: 674 GWh20172018: 611 GWh20182019: 655 GWh2019674 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Algonquin Power Co. All plants by this company →

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 40.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.3°Cannual mean temp
3,228heating degree-days (base 18°C)
432cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
222 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 5 °CND: -2 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 31% 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: 69/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
28.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
142 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 #171 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 40.8886, -88.9972 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Minonk Wind Farm?

Minonk Wind Farm is a 200 MW source-record wind power plant in Illinois, United States of America, commissioned in 2012.

How much electricity does Minonk Wind Farm generate?

Minonk Wind Farm generates about 655 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Minonk Wind Farm power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 187,028 homes.

Who operates Minonk Wind Farm?

Minonk Wind Farm is operated by Algonquin Power Co.

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