Ponnequin Wind Farm
The staff at Fort St. Vrain is also responsible for the Ponnequin Wind Farm which generates electrical power from the wind. The site is located on the plains of eastern Colorado south of the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Each wind turbine is capable of generating 750 kilowatts of electricity. They begin generating at about 11-12 mph and will shut down to protect themselves if the winds are stronger than about 55 mph. It is roughly 180 feet from the ground to the center of the hub where the blades attach!
To demonstrate the size of the blades, Mike Jarrett is standing in the middle of the them!
"Buster" Joe Hartsough at the Wind Farm.
Don't like ladders? Climbing up inside the wind turbine's base for maintenance!
Gina Holland and Ken Bolin, project engineers, discuss construction at Ponnequin.
Mike Jarrett, Electrician, peers over the edge of the open wind turbine body.
Photo by Chris Karber
Photo by Mike Jarrett
Chris Karber, summer engineering student from the Colorado School of Mines, gets a first hand look at the inner workings of a wind turbine. One of the blades is shown behind Chris. (This wind turbine is stopped for maintenance.)
Wind turbines in a row.
Photo by Chris Karber
Photo by Chris Karber
Another view of the Ponnequin wind turbine site taken in July, 2002.
