Ridgewind

Wind power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. Approximate location 44.0189, -96.0653.

WindMinnesotaUnited States of America

Ridgewind is a 25 MW wind power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. It is operated by Ridgewind Power Partners LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 77 GWh, it can supply roughly 22k homes. It ranks #4464 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 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).

25Source-backed capacity
77GWh reported / yr
22,114homes powered
2011commissioned (~15 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0057386.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRidgewind WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Minnesota WRI
Coordinates44.0189, -96.0653 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity25 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerRidgewind Power Partners LLC WRI
Commissioned2011 WRI
GWh reported / yr77 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4464 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#739 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.37× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent22,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate6.5°C · HDD 4,408 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000906507); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 25 MW, Ridgewind 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: 86 GWh20132014: 88 GWh20142015: 88 GWh20152016: 89 GWh20162017: 85 GWh20172018: 79 GWh20182019: 77 GWh201989 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Ridgewind Power Partners 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 44.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.5°Cannual mean temp
4,408heating degree-days (base 18°C)
244cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
511 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -11 °CJF: -8 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 8 °CON: -1 °CND: -8 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 79% 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: 89/100 — 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
33.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
589 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 #739 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 44.0189, -96.0653 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Ridgewind?

Ridgewind is a 25 MW source-record wind power plant in Minnesota, United States of America, commissioned in 2011.

How much electricity does Ridgewind generate?

Ridgewind generates about 77 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Ridgewind power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 22,114 homes.

Who operates Ridgewind?

Ridgewind is operated by Ridgewind Power Partners LLC.

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