Wind Energy Moves Forward In Oklahoma

Oklahoma ranks fourth in the nation in installed wind power capacity, and enough wind projects are set to come online by the end of the year to push the state higher in the nation’s wind energy rankings.

Texas currently leads the nation in installed wind power capacity, with Iowa coming in second and California third.

Hannah Hunt, a senior industry data analyst with the American Wind Energy Association, says Oklahoma currently ranks third in wind power construction activity as well as total wind energy generation. Wind energy provided enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1.3 million average U.S. households in 2015.

Last year, wind energy provided more than 18 percent of Oklahoma’s energy production, and the industry provides 7,000 jobs in the state.