Transforming Wind into Power
Wind-generated electricity offers environmental benefits and creates revenue for landowners and local communities. Our diverse portfolio of energy sources includes 27 wind projects operating across 10 states.
Transforming Wind into Power
Wind-generated electricity offers environmental benefits and creates revenue for landowners and local communities. Our diverse portfolio of energy sources includes 27 wind projects operating across 10 states.
Wind generation plays an essential role in our portfolio of solutions focused on building a more reliable and secure energy grid for our customers. Wind turbines, which can stand up to 50 stories tall, capture energy as wind blows around them, causing the blades to rotate and trigger an internal shaft to spin. This shaft connects to a gearbox, which speeds up the rotation. The gearbox then drives a generator that converts the wind energy into electricity. Turbines are grouped into wind projects that supply power to the grid.
Built for high winds, wind turbines can withstand extreme weather and automatically shut off when wind speeds exceed safety limits.
When selecting sites for wind power, it's critical to be strategic to optimize the success of each project. Constellation conducts detailed research to assess site viability, considering factors such as terrain features, vegetation, nearby buildings and local atmospheric conditions. Wind turbines must be placed in areas with strong, consistent wind, such as coastal regions, mountain ranges and the Great Plains stretching to Texas. To support this process, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides wind resource maps based on advanced modeling.
Once wind energy is on the grid, smaller transmission lines, or "distribution lines," collect the electricity and bring it to larger network lines. The electricity then travels to wherever it's needed. This process ensures that wind-generated power is efficiently distributed to homes, businesses and communities, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.
Constellation continues to invest in wind infrastructure, refurbishing and repowering wind assets to extend operational life, increase energy output and further contribute to our clean energy portfolio.