After nearly 10 years of operation, the two 750-kilowatt wind turbines at the Springview Wind Energy Facility have been retired. NPPD and several of its partners have discussed and are considering installation of two new technology, direct-drive turbines at the Springview site, which will be utilized in the future for similar type of demonstration projects.

The twin turbines at Springview, which began operation in 1998, were a demonstration project to verify turbine technology available at that time and to prove the efficiency and reliability of wind energy at distribution voltages in Nebraska. NPPD and its public power partners, Lincoln Electric System, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, City of Grand Island, City of Auburn, and KBR Rural Public Power District jointly decided that the facility had reached a point that the turbines should be retired. The original construction was supported with funding assistance provided by the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Tailored Collaboration program and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Lack of available replacement parts, significant maintenance issues as the units aged, and the opportunity to demonstrate new technology, were the prime reasons for the decision to retire the units at Springview. NPPD sold the existing turbines to FPL Energy LLC of Juno Beach, Fla.