In 2010 Oklahoma adopted a goal of generating 15% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015. Wind power accounted for 18.4% of the electricity generated in Oklahoma during 2015. At the end of 2015, Oklahoma’s installed wind generation capacity was 5184 MW.

Potential

Being centrally located, the western half of Oklahoma is in America’s wind corridor, which stretches from Canada into North Dakota and Montana, south into west Texas, where the vast majority of the country’s best on-shore wind resources are located.  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.

The Economics

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.

Oklahoma ended the half-cent tax credit for wind by July 2017. All zero-emission rebates were $60 million in the 2014 tax year.

Growth

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 & 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. As of April, 2017, Clean Line Energy Partners did not have any binding contracts to provide electricity to an electric utility. The only tentative, nonbinding, agreement Clean Line was able to obtain was for 50 MW of capacity.

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

Wind power accounted for 18.4% of the electricity generated in Oklahoma during 2015. At the end of 2015, Oklahoma’s installed wind generation capacity was 5184 MW.

(All information for post was obtained from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the US Department of Energy. All of this information and more available for view to the public at their sites.)

Under good leadership at state and local levels and combined with proper incentives Oklahoma could lead the country in wind energy. This is just another reason to get our and vote. Here are links to help you find where your county election boards are and where you can register and where your polling places are Oklahoma State Election Board.