(Source: Business Wire)Puget Sound Energy's Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility is now producing even more energy from the gusty breezes and bright sunshine of Kittitas County, thanks to 22 additional wind turbines that entered commercial operation today. The new wind turbines join the facility's original 127 turbines, which entered service in December 2006, and raise its capacity to produce clean, renewable power from the wind. In addition, the Wild Horse solar array, already one of the largest in the Northwest, is also expanding with 315 made-in-Washington solar modules totaling 50 kilowatt (kW) of capacity being added to its present 450 kW of generating capability.

"Renewable energy works in Central Washington, and it's exciting to see Wild Horse grow," said Kimberly Harris, executive vice president and chief resource officer for PSE. "The wind and sun of Kittitas County are tremendous natural resources, and by harnessing these resources we can benefit the environment by generating clean power and also boost the local economy of Ellensburg, Cle Elum and Central Washington."

PSE, which is already the nation's second-largest utility owner and operator of wind power according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), built on the success of the existing 127-turbine Wild Horse Wind Facility by raising its capacity from 229 megawatts (MW) to 273 MW through the installation of 22 new turbines each with a capacity of 2 MW. According to AWEA, 273 MW equals the approximate energy needs of 70,000 average U.S. homes.

The Wild Horse wind facility is located at an elevation of 3,500 feet on Whiskey Dick Mountain, a little more than 16 miles east of Ellensburg, on the north side of Interstate 90. Initial development of the expanded wind site began in 2008 with construction taking place in the spring and summer of 2009. Testing and commissioning of the new wind turbines was completed in October 2009.

The solar facility, located at the highest point within the wind facility at an elevation of some 3,800 feet, entered service in August 2007. With the added photovoltaic (PV) solar modules (which convert sunlight directly into electricity), the solar array becomes the launch customer for the first made-in-Washington equipment of its type. Produced by Silicon Energy of Arlington, Wash. the new Wild Horse solar modules are the first PV modules made in the state, and will soon be available to area residents for use in their home or business solar systems, including those connected to the PSE grid via the utility's net-metering and production metering programs.