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Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I

Wind power plant in Kansas, United States of America. Approximate location 38.8799, -98.1602.

WindKansasUnited States of America

Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I is a 101 MW wind power station in Kansas, United States of America. It is operated by Smoky Hills Wind Farm I LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 333 GWh, it can supply roughly 95k homes. It ranks #2796 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 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).

101Source-backed capacity
333GWh reported / yr
95,142homes powered
2008commissioned (~18 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056488.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySmoky Hills Wind Project Phase I WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Kansas WRI
Coordinates38.8799, -98.1602 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity101 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSmoky Hills Wind Farm I LLC WRI
Commissioned2008 WRI
GWh reported / yr333 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2796 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#432 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.49× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent95,142 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.5°C · HDD 2,703 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 101 MW, Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I 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: 370 GWh20132014: 382 GWh20142015: 374 GWh20152016: 373 GWh20162017: 365 GWh20172018: 328 GWh20182019: 333 GWh2019382 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Smoky Hills Wind Farm I LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.5°Cannual mean temp
2,703heating degree-days (base 18°C)
724cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
496 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 6 °CND: 0 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 10% 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: 55/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
28.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
1114 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 #432 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 38.8799, -98.1602 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I?

Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I is a 101 MW source-record wind power plant in Kansas, United States of America, commissioned in 2008.

How much electricity does Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I generate?

Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I generates about 333 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 95,142 homes.

Who operates Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I?

Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I is operated by Smoky Hills Wind Farm I LLC.

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