It may not be the top of the world, but when standing on the hub of a wind turbine tower 230 feet above the ground in north central Nebraska, it seems pretty close.

A project team of NPPD employees are working with Renewable Energy Systems American Construction, Inc. whom NPPD hired to install 36 wind turbines by this fall. The 131-foot, 3.5-ton blades arrive in pairs on long flatbed trailers, as do the other tower sections. Each tubular base weighs 42 tons and is 40 feet in length; mid tower sections are 40 tons and 75 feet in length; and top sections weigh 37 tons each and are 108 feet in length. Each nacelle (the enclosure on top of the tower) weighs 51 tons with 40’ x 11’ x 12’ dimensions.

The facility’s 36 turbines will stand on 52-foot wide foundations constructed of a total 2.1 million pounds of rebar and a total 10,800 cubic yards of concrete. Three blades are assembled to each generating unit and, once operational, will spin at speeds of 138 miles per hour in a 269-foot rotor diameter. When operating, the facility will have the capability of generating up to 60 megawatts of energy which can serve approximately 19,000 homes on average.