Project Overview
Bright Stalk II Wind Farm will be located 20 miles northeast of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Located entirely within McLean County, the wind farm will complement the area’s corn and soybean fields, providing local farmers with a stable, weather resistant cash crop in the form of landowner lease payments.
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Energy Output
Bright Stalk II Wind Farm will have an installed capacity of 150 megawatts (MW). Bright Stalk II's generation will be equivalent to the consumption of 51,000 Illinois homes.
Benefits
Community
Bright Stalk II Wind Farm yields significant economic benefits to the community in the form of payments to landowners, local spending, and annual community investment.
Bright Stalk II represents a capital investment of approximately $210 million and will disperse over a million dollars in cumulative payments to local governments through the life of the project. The project will create over a hundred full-time equivalent jobs during construction and several permanent jobs during the life of the project. $2 million+ dollars will be spent within 50 miles of the wind farm through the life of the project.
Environment
Bright Stalk II Wind Farm will save more than 266 million gallons of water each year and displaces carbon emissions from fossil fuel power plants, a major contributor to climate change. Wind energy also enhances air quality by helping to mitigate the health effects of harmful air pollutants.
Landowners
Bright Stalk II Wind Farm is compatible with other land uses and will provide a stable form of income to local landowners. $1.5 million dollars will be paid to local landowners through the life of the project.
National Security
Bright Stalk II Wind Farm would contribute to Illinois' energy security and help diversify energy supply.
Technology
Turbines
Modern wind turbine generators are sophisticated, high-tech machines designed to capture the kinetic energy of the wind and convert it into electricity. A turbine’s blades capture the wind and rotate an internal shaft connected to a gearbox spinning a generator to produce electricity.
Bright Stalk II is anticipated to consist of approximately 42 3.6 MW wind turbines. The number and nameplate capacity of turbines is expected to be finalized in 2023.