Top 10 US States for Wind Turbine Installations

It is anticipated that the US will add 68.1GW of wind capacity during the period 2024-2028, according to Wood Mackenzie/American Clean Power’s US Wind Energy Monitor. It is predicted that 7.7GW of capacity will be added in 2024, with a further 12.7GW installed in 2025, 14GW added in 2026, 17.1GW installed in 2027 and 16.6GW added in 2028. [1]

The forecasts show that wind installations will accelerate in the coming years after a period in which the pace of wind capacity additions began to slow down. There were only 7GW installed in 2023, a 42 per cent decrease on the 2022 total of 12GW.

So which US states have been the leaders up to now in terms of the number of wind turbines installed? Data from the US Wind Turbine Database [2] reveals the top 10 US states by number of turbines:1.

• Number of wind turbines: 18,696
• Key drivers: State has a target of 10GW of renewables by 2025 as well as significant wind resources and land availability

  [3]

  . It has also had tax systems that encourage building, less restrictive zoning and robust transmission lines [4].

• Number of wind turbines: 6,345
• Key drivers: The state has no clean energy targets [5], but there are significant wind resources and many farm owners have shown a strong willingness to lease their land to utilities, while continuing to farm the land after turbines have been built [6].

• Number of wind turbines: 5,649
• Key drivers: Has the goal of 100% carbon-free power by 2045, also possesses significant wind resources.
  

• Number of wind turbines: 5,522
• Key drivers: Significant wind resources, and a state target of 15% renewables by 2025. Also has large tracts of available land. For farm owners, accommodating a wind farm acts as a hedge against variable crop prices [7].
  

• Number of wind turbines: 4,139
• Key drivers: Kansas is placed at center of a major US wind tunnel, and the state has recognized the huge economic benefits the wind industry can bring – the sector has brought $15 billion in investment into the state [8].

• Number of wind turbines: 3,647
• Key drivers: With a target of 100% clean energy by 2050, Illinois has recognized that a flourishing wind industry can bring significant economic benefits. Total wind energy investment in Illinois stands at more than $13.7 billion – more than $57 million state and local tax dollars are generated by these projects and more than $47 million annually goes to Illinois residents directly in the form of land lease payments [9].

• Number of wind turbines: 2,841
• Key drivers: Has set a target of 100% clean energy by 2050. The state has sought to capitalize on the significant economic benefits the wind sector can bring - wind energy investment in Colorado has totaled $9.8 billion. More than $10 million state and local tax dollars are generated by these projects and more than $18 million annually goes to Colorado residents directly in the form of land lease payments [10].

• Number of wind turbines: 2,732
• Key drivers: Job creation – the wind sector supports more than 2,000 “well-paid, family supporting jobs” in the state, according to the Clean Grid Alliance. The wind industry also pays $15.5 million per year in state and local taxes [11]. Minnesota has a target of 100% carbon-free power by 2040.
  

• Number of wind turbines: 2,116
• Key drivers: In 2021 Oregon State Legislature passed the Clean Energy Targets bill. This bill requires Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp and Electricity Service Suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity they provide [12]. The state has a target of 50% clean energy by 2040, as well as the goal of a 100% cut in greenhouse gas emissions from baseline levels by 2040.

• Number of wind turbines: 2,095
  Key drivers: North Dakota has substantial, and nearly continuous, wind energy resources. The state had a voluntary renewable energy goal of electricity providers obtaining 10% of the power they sold in the state from renewable-source generation by 2015. The goal was exceeded. In 2022, about 42 per cent of the electricity generated in North Dakota came from renewable energy sources.

Given the large amount of investment in wind turbines across the US – as the country aims to accelerate the transition to sources of renewable energy – it is vital that everything possible is done to protect such assets, and this includes effectively guarding against fire risk.

Best practice for reducing the risk of fire at a wind farm involves conducting an effective fire risk assessment (FRA), which will limit potential damage to your wind assets and mean you won’t incur millions in costs replacing turbines. Upon completion, the results of the FRA should be shared with all stakeholders, including colleagues responsible for personnel safety, the operations teams and the finance team, as well as external providers of finance and insurance providers.

Technologies used for fire protection in wind turbines include fire detection, arc flash detection, and condition monitoring systems. Most technologies focus on fire prevention or detection, but only fire detection and suppression systems mitigate fire damage once a fire has started.