Pigeon Creek Wind Turbine

The First Utility-Scale Wind Turbine in Adams County

South of Quincy Regional Airport, along 1700E (Plainville Blacktop), Adams Electric Cooperative’s 900kW Pigeon Creek Wind Turbine reaches into the sky. The landmark is 246 feet tall (335 feet counting the blade).

The turbine was manufactured by Emergya Wind Technologies (EWT). Each blade weighs about 3,000 pounds and attaches to a 20,000 pound hub. The hub is attached to a generator weighing 69,000 pounds.

The Co-op’s wind turbine is a direct drive unit, meaning the three 89-foot blades will drive the generator. The blades start producing electricity in winds as light as six miles per hour and reach full capacity in winds starting at 31 miles per hour.

The turbine will supply approximately 2.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. That is enough power for about 200-300 homes.

The installed cost of the wind turbine was approximately $2 million. The Cooperative secured $1.5 million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) which is an interest-free loan for financing renewable energy projects. The Cooperative also received grants for the Adams County project: $150,000 from Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) and $250,000 from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).

2016
Production
2017 Production 2018 Production 2019 Production
Jan 157,680 166,080 199,440 164,880
Feb 199,680 139,920 137,520 134,880
Mar 174,240 194,880 214,800 182,640
Apr 193,440 168,240 178,080 178,080
May 91,440 133,920 92,640 104,400
Jun  67,680 101,280 74,400 83,040
Jul  66,000 68,160 44,640 63,120
Aug 51,840 62,640 66,480 54,720
Sep 46,560 90,720 80,400 109,200
Oct 146,640 139,920 129,600 135,600
Nov 137,280 117,120 128,400 144,720
Dec 134,880 165,600 155,040