A study commissioned by The Wind Coalition says developers have invested more than $6 billion in Oklahoma's wind energy industry.
The study released Wednesday says there are 26 active wind farms in the state. Oklahoma ranks sixth in the nation in the amount of wind energy generated for consumers. That's enough to power almost 770,000 homes each year.
“Wind energy is no longer ‘alternative’ energy,” Wind Coalition Oklahoma Director Curt Roggow said in a statement. "It has become a mainstream, reliable and cost-effective source of energy for the people of Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma's wind farms have more than 3,000 megawatts of electricity generation capacity. Improvements will provide more than $43 million in property taxes to municipalities and school districts, and the projects provide more than $22 million a year in payments to local landowners.
Nearly 15 percent of the electricity generated in Oklahoma came from wind power last year. Oklahoma wind energy projects range in capacity from 40 to 300 megawatts.
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