Enel Green Power, in partnership with Westar Energy and KCP&L, is retiring renewable energy credits (RECs) equivalent to the amount of electricity expected to be consumed by the 2019 Kansas State Fair, running Sept. 6-15.
The RECs will come from the Diamond Vista wind farm in Kansas. This marks the first time that 100% of the Kansas State Fair’s energy usage will be offset by RECs, according to the partners.
Diamond Vista, owned and operated by Enel Green Power, is a 300 MW wind farm located in Marion and Dickinson counties. Diamond Vista’s 95 wind turbines produce about 1,300 GWh per year, enough to meet the electricity needs of more than 100,000 Kansas households. The 1 GWh of renewable energy generated for the 2019 Kansas State Fair is equivalent to 123 homes’ energy use.
“With deep roots in the Sunflower State, Enel is thrilled to promote and showcase Kansas wind energy at the 2019 Kansas State Fair,” says Marcus Krembs, director of sustainability for the U.S. and Canada at Enel North America.
“As we celebrate all things Kansas at the Kansas State Fair, we recognize that the wind industry has become an increasingly important economic asset for the state,” says Robin Jennison, general manager of the Kansas State Fair. “Nearly 37 percent of the state’s total electricity is produced by wind power. That includes the fair. We are proud to partner with Enel and Westar to make the Kansas State Fair one of the greenest state fairs in the nation.”
In Kansas, Enel Green Power operates six wind power plants, representing over $2.1 billion in total investment and more than 210 full-time employees. With its acquisition of Kansas-based developer Tradewind Energy earlier this year, Enel Green Power expanded its presence in the state even further.
