If you’re looking to get in on the ground floor of wind development projects in the U.S. and Canada, building relationships with wind energy developers and wind turbine companies and suppliers are critical to your success. Because wind energy developers are involved with wind projects from the inception, they are the best opportunity and point of contact for vendors.

In 2016 alone, our database tracked a total of 7,746 MW of wind projects that began operation in 26 states—it’s a powerful tool for vendors, developers, sales teams, and more.

1. NextEra Energy Resources (1.364 GW)

NextEra Energy Resources is one of the largest wind developers in North America—the company claims to be the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from wind and solar, with approximately 117 wind farms in 20 states and Canada. In 2016, NextEra Energy Resources completed seven wind projects in the U.S. and Canada for a total of 1.364 GW of installed capacity. You can see all of NextEra Energy Resources’ completed projects as of March 2017 here.

Notable Project: Emmons-Logan Wind

One of NextEra Energy Resources’ most notable projects is the Emmons-Logan Wind Project in North Dakota. This wind farm is a 300-MW project currently in the preconstruction stage. Construction is slated to begin in early 2019 and be completed by end of that year.

This is a good project opportunity to keep an eye on if you’re interested in getting involved with an earlier-stage project. There are some roles filled out, but since construction is a year and a half out, there are still opportunities for companies that would like to be involved.

2. Invenergy LLC (1.023 GW)

Invenergy LLC, North America’s largest independent, privately held renewable energy provider, has its hand in wind, solar, and natural gas projects. It is also involved in several energy storage projects in North America. The company is a notable wind developer, and in 2016, it completed six projects for a total of 1.023 GW of installed capacity wind energy.

Notable Projects: Ida Grove & O’Brien

These two “sister projects” in Iowa account for a total of 551 MW, which is more than half of Invenergy’s installed capacity in 2016. The substantial size of this project shows just how promising the Iowa market is for wind energy.

3. Geronimo Energy (880 MW)

In 2016, Geronimo Energy out of Minneapolis completed five projects for a total of 880 MW installed capacity. This Midwestern renewable energy developer has an especially large number of solar projects, including community solar projects in Minnesota; however, they have even more total wind capacity in their future pipeline and portfolio. If you want to get involved with wind and are looking for a new company, Geronimo has ramped up wind projects and may be a good opportunity.

Notable Project: Grand Prairie

Geronimo recently completed a 400-MW wind farm in Nebraska. Grand Prairie Wind Farm’s footprint spans approximately 50,000 acres, and they used 200 Vestas turbines.

4. Tradewind Energy LLC (809.8 MW)

Tradewind Energy LLC is a Kansas-based wind and solar developer and a prominent player in the Midwestern renewable energy market. The company completed three projects for an installed capacity of 809.8 MW in 2016.

Notable Project: Cheyenne Ridge

Cheyenne Ridge is a 600-MW project in Colorado scheduled for completion in 2019. There is still some potential to get involved if you’re looking for a project that’s not yet complete.

5. EDF Renewable Energy (758.23 MW)

The final developer in our top-five list is EDF Renewable Energy. EDF Renewable Energy is a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, the renewable energy arm of EDF, which is present in 21 countries across the world. In 2016, EDF Renewable Energy completed five projects for an installed capacity of 758.23 MW.

Notable Project: Salt Fork Wind Ranch

Salt Fork Wind Ranch is a 174-MW wind farm located in Texas, which has a big wind market as well as its own regional transmission and regulatory body. The company currently has another 444.8 MW in preconstruction predominantly in the Midwest per the Energy Acuity database.

Find Out More

While these are the biggest wind farm developers of 2016, they are by no means the only ones.  To learn more about these projects and find out about other wind farms under construction, check out the full version of the project profiles in the Energy Acuity Renewables Database.