Last week, for the first time ever, the Great Plains derived more power from wind turbines than it did from any other source.
As Bloomberg reports, last Sunday the vast power grid stretching from Montana to the Texas Panhandle reportedly received 52 percent of its energy from wind sources.
Southwest Power Pool Inc, a public utility based in Arkansas, announced the energy production levels. Bruce Row, Southwest Power Pool’s vice president of operations, was thrilled by the announcement.
“Ten years ago we thought hitting even a 25 percent wind-penetration level would be extremely challenging,” he said, adding that 52 percent isn’t even the ceiling—wind’s share of the energy pie could soon grow even larger.
The High Plains has become America’s wind energy powerhouse, with four of the five top wind-producing states located on the plains.