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Oklahoma Slips To Third Place For Most Wind-Generated Power

U.S. Department of Agriculture / Alice Welch

Oklahoma still ranks as one of the top states in the nation for wind-generated electricity, but the state recently slipped from being second in the U.S. for wind-turbine produced power.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration last year showed our state produced over 29,000 megawatts of electricity from wind turbines.

A map showing the wind electricity generation by state in 2020.
U.S. Energy Information Administration
A map showing the wind electricity generation by state in 2020.

Until 2020, Oklahoma ranked second in the nation just after Texas, which produces more than triple the megawattage Oklahoma does. But last year, Iowa bumped Oklahoma into third place, with that state producing nearly 4,500 megawatts more.

The states that generated the most electricity from wind in 2020 were Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois - producing about a combined 58% of wind generated power in the nation.

According to the EIA, in 2019, for the first time, wind turbines surpassed hydroelectric plants as the top renewable electricity generation source in the U.S. And it's only expected to increase.

Nyk Daniels is KGOU’s Morning Edition host.
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