Washington expands wind farm

ELLENSBURG, Wash., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Puget Sound Energy entered another 22 wind turbines into service at its Wild Horse wind and solar farm in central Washington state.

"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.

PSE lauds itself as the second-largest owner and operator of wind power in the United States. The current 127 turbines at the Wind Horse facility produce 229 MW of energy. The additional 22 turbines will boost that capacity to 273 MW, which is enough to meet the energy demands of 70,000 homes.

The Wild Horse wind farm is situated 3,500 feet above sea level on a mountain peak about 16 miles east of the city of Ellensburg.

An incentive program through Washington state allows customers to receive credits and cash payments from the energy produced through the Wild Horse facility.