Wind power in Oklahoma
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] At the end of 2015, Oklahoma's installed wind generation capacity was 5184 MW.[2]
Growth
Million kilowatt-hours of electricity[3] |
Megawatts of Generation Capacity[4] |
Some of the wind farms in Oklahoma include:
- Blue Canyon Wind Farm 324 MW
- Centennial Wind Farm 120 MW
- Red Hills Wind Farm 123 MW
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.[5]
Wind power accounted for 18.4% of the electricity generated in Oklahoma during 2015.[1]
Potential
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.[6] 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.[7]
Economic benefits
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.[8]
Wind generation
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 |
See also
References
- ^ a b "U.S. number one in the world in wind energy production". American Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ "AWEA". American Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "EIA - Electricity Data Browser, Table 1.17". U.S. Department of Energy.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "=Wind Exchange: Installed Wind Capacity". U.S. Department of Energy. February 17, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
- ^ "Oklahoma Governor Approves Energy Security Act". SolarIndustryMag.com. May 28, 2010.
- ^ "80 Meter Wind Map". National Renewable Energy Lab. Department of Energy. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2012-07-04). "U.S. Renewable Energy Technical Potentials" (PDF). U.S. Department of Energy. p. 14.
- ^ "State Wind Energy Statistics: Oklahoma". AWEA. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.A." United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.B." United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ Electric Power Monthly, February 2013, Energy Information Administration