FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Timber Road Wind Farm in Payne, Ohio has been in operation since early 2010
and the number of turbines harnessing the power of the wind has grown over the last decade.

It’s hard to miss the giant 300-foot tall wind turbines along US-24 in Ohio. Timber Road is maintained by EDP Renewables and has been growing in phases since becoming operational, with the most recent phase being commercialized for about a year and a half.

“Growth has been you know, outstanding, there’s been more and more push for renewable energies globally,” explained Eric Rivera, Operations Manager for EDP Renewables in Indiana and Ohio. “We continue to find support for green energy, the industry is growing year over year.”

The turbines start to spin when wind speeds are between 6 to 9 miles per hour. The wind spins a gearbox into a generator. which goes through a process before commercial use. They are constantly monitored and have the ability to compensate for wind variations.

“They have those sensors and they’ll pick up the generation to speed up that wind and then they’ll adjust.
The wind is too high? We’ll have those sensors and they’ll pitch and yaw so that way they won’t get damaged from high winds,” described Rivera.

These turbines need land and lots of it. That’s where landowners and farmers play a role when it comes to renewable energy. EDP makes sure to keep close ties with these landowners as they are a valued resource to continue to provide renewable energy.

“The landowners they go into a partnership with actually receive yearly payments for being part of that wind project. These payments are, no matter what the economy’s looked like it’s resistant against drought, the pandemic,” said Rivera. “These are assured checks that these landowners are getting you over a year for participating in renewable energy.”

Timber Road Wind Farm is adjacent to EDP’s Hog Creek Wind Farm. Together they provide around 391 megawatts of wind power in Ohio, enough to power 109,000 homes. Rivera added that EDP Renewables is constantly looking to grow, especially in a place like Indiana which currently produces enough wind and solar energy to power 320,000 homes.