Wind power in Oklahoma

The Blue Canyon Wind Farm

The U.S. State of Oklahoma has high potential capacity for wind power in the western half of the state. In 2015, over 18 percent of the state's generated electricity came from wind power. [1]

Growth

Oklahoma wind power
Year Capacity
(MW)[2]		Generation
(GWh)[3]
2003 176 54
2004 176 573
2005 475 8478
2006 535 1,712
2007 689 1,849
2008 708 2,358
2009 1,031 2,698
2010 1,482 3,808
2011 2,007 5,605
2012 8,158
2013 11,162
2014 11,937

Some of the wind farms in Oklahoma include:

The $3.5 billion, 800 mile, Plains and Eastern Clean Line transmission line was approved in 2012, which will when completed in 2017 have the capacity to deliver 7,000 MW of wind power. In general it takes longer to build transmission capacity than it takes to build wind farms, resulting in the slowing of the development of wind power.

In 2010 Oklahoma adopted a goal of generating 15% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015.[4]

Wind power accounted for 18.4% of the electricity generated in Oklahoma during 2015.[1]

Potential

Oklahoma wind resources are concentrated in the pan handle

Being centrally located, the western half of Oklahoma is in America's wind corridor, which stretches from North Dakota and Montana south into west Texas, where the vast majority of the country's best on-shore wind resources are located.[5] Oklahoma has the potential to install 517,000 MW of wind turbines, capable of generating 1,521,652 GWh each year. This is over one third of all the electricity generated in the United States in 2011.[6]

Economic benefits

Wind turbine blade on display in Weatherford, Oklahoma

Oklahoma's wind resources are the eighth best in the United States. The total number of direct and indirect jobs in the state from wind power development is estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000.[7]

Wind generation

Oklahoma Wind Generation in 2011
Oklahoma Wind Generation (GWh, Million kWh)
Year Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2010 3,808 252 187 389 400 305 360 265 260 311 299 408 375
2011 5,369 319 446 519 531 510 514 329 336 343 498 626 469
2012 8,234 632 555 744 634 726 639 570 453 516 791 823 1023

Source:[8][9][10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "U.S. number one in the world in wind energy production". American Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  2. ↑ U.S. Installed Wind Capacity
  3. ↑ "Electricity Data Browser". U.S. Department of Energy. March 24, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Oklahoma Governor Approves Energy Security Act". SolarIndustryMag.com. May 28, 2010.
  5. ↑ "80 Meter Wind Map". National Renewable Energy Lab. Department of Energy. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  6. ↑ National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2012-07-04). "U.S. Renewable Energy Technical Potentials" (PDF). U.S. Department of Energy. p. 14.
  7. ↑ "State Wind Energy Statistics: Oklahoma". AWEA. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  8. ↑ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.A.". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  9. ↑ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.B.". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  10. ↑ Electric Power Monthly, February 2013, Energy Information Administration

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