Oklahoma's Winds of Change

"How Wind Energy Makes Oklahoma #1"

"Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains," who knew that Rodgers and Hammerstein were talking about wind energy when they wrote that famous line in the song Oklahoma! Truth be known, at the time they wrote the song neither had even been to Oklahoma. However, their characterization was very accurate and still is today. Oklahoma has now found a way to harness the wind as it sweeps down the plains and turn it into usable, clean energy in the form of electricity.

If you haven't driven down Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma in awhile you may be surprised when you reach Elk City. It is an amazing sight to see an entire farm of 260 feet tall wind turbines with blades stretching over 125 feet across. The behemoths at OG&E's Centennial Wind Farm in Woodward already produce 170MW, or enough power to supply over 40,000 homes. They expect to almost double that output to 300MW in 2009.

Oklahoma has an abundance of wind energy, but only recently has this resource become developed for production. Before 2003 Oklahoma had no wind power, but by the end of 2006 we were producing over 500MW, representing a capital investment of over $600 million dollars. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) estimates that Oklahoma ranks 6th among the states in installed wind energy capacity. And we are moving up fast.

Wind energy is an excellent source of clean renewable energy but it is not a sustainable energy and cannot be stored. The downfall is that if the wind doesn't blow then there is no energy produced. That is why wind energy is best used as an integrated form of energy working with our current plants. The more wind energy we produce means we burn less coal and natural gas in our primary power plants.

Oklahoma farmers have been using wind energy for many years to pump water from wells using windmills. In parts of the state, windmills have been used since before statehood to pump water from low-lying areas. And wind has also been used to turn large grinding stones to grind wheat or corn, just like a water wheel is turned by waterpower. Oklahomans have been harnessing the power of the wind since before the days of the dust bowl. Now we have the opportunity to take an old idea and modernize it to create power for the next hundred years.

Oklahoma has over twice the wind energy potential per square mile than Texas, according to Tim Hughes, director for the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative. To give some idea of the state's potential, a national study shows that Oklahoma could provide nine percent of the U.S. needs for electricity. This not only means cheaper more efficient energy for Oklahomans, it also would create a billion dollar industry for the state. In order for this to happen it will take the business community, policy makers and local communities to make wind generation and renewable energy a priority.

On a smaller scale, across the nation people are utilizing small wind turbines to power their homes and businesses. Oklahoma based Bergey Wind Power is one of the leading manufactures of small turbines in the country. With 500 domestic and international dealers, Bergey is bringing power to all corners of the globe directly from Norman Oklahoma. Including war-torn Afghanistan where utility infrastructure was severely damaged. These small wind turbines provide power to remote areas that might otherwise have to wait years for service. Consumers are using the residential models in conjunction with other technologies such as solar cells and geothermal to create self sustaining homes that don't require any energy from local power plants.

The next time the wind is sweeping down Oklahoma's plains, remember that somewhere in Oklahoma clean power is being generated for our safer, cleaner energy future. It is far easier to endure windy Oklahoma days knowing the wind is as valuable today as black gold.