Oklahoma’s wind and solar power generates 44% of state’s electricity

A new reported called Renewables on the Rise 2019 shows Oklahoma remains a strong and solid number two in the U.S. when it comes to wind-generated energy. And its wind-energy growth gets high rankings.

The report stated, “Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and
Illinois experienced the greatest total increases in wind energy generation from 2009 to 2018. Texas’ policies to upgrade its grid to accommodate more wind power from rural west Texas played an important role in the boom.”

The reported noted how Midwest and Southwest states have led the American wind energy revolution and that from 2009 to 2018, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas led the country in added wind power.

“In Oklahoma and Kansas, wind generation grew more than six-fold over that period. Renewable electricity standards (RES) have helped spur the development of renewable energy resources
throughout the country, and while economics has been the primary driver of wind growth in the Mid-West.

In 2018, Texas was easily number one for wind-generated power followed by Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, California, North Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota and Michigan. The study also reported that wind energy in the U.S. more than tripled from 2009 to 2018.

And the report explained in part how Texas became the largest producer of wind-powered energy.

“In Texas alone there are now more than 10,000 wind turbines; during the early morning hours on one day in February 2017, wind power supplied more than half of Texas’ electricity demand. While Texas’ wind energy growth was triggered by the renewable electricity standard it established in 1999, the recent
growth was enhanced by a $7 billion investment in the state grid, which allows for the transmission of wind energy from the state’s windiest regions to its biggest cities.”

The study also found that Oklahoma is one of only four states that generate 40 percent of their electricity from wind and solar power.

“In 2018, wind and solar power produced 10 percent
of all U.S. electricity generation, almost five times the
percentage they produced in 2009.123 In March 2017,
for the first time, wind and solar power produced 10
percent of all U.S. electricity for an entire month.124
In 2018, 21 states generated enough wind and
solar energy to supply more than 10 percent of the
electricity they consumed.125 Four states – North
Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa – generated
enough wind and solar power to supply at least
40 percent of their electricity needs. North Dakota
generated sufficient wind and solar electricity to
supply over half, 54 percent, of its electricity needs.”

Kansas produced 47% from wind and solar power while Oklahoma’s production was 44%. Iowa had 43% production from the two sources of energy.

Click here to read entire report.