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Texas leads the USA in terms of the total number of wind turbines installed by private companies. These wind turbines comprise hundreds of commercial wind farms.
As of 2021, Texas is the undisputed leader in wind power production in the United States. Since 2006, Texas has had the number one spot in wind electricity generation.
America’s renewable energy industry has grown side-by-side with the growth of wind power generation in Texas. To describe wind energy’s rise in the United States, one has to look at Texas’ wind generation, farms, and wind turbines.
Top 10 States with Most Turbines
Texas produces the most wind energy in the US. Texas also leads all wind energy sectors by installing the most wind turbines.
‘Significant’ is an appropriate term but does not precisely describe the lead of Texas over other states. The number of wind turbines in Texas is higher than in Iowa, California, and Oklahoma combined–states that rank second, third, and fourth, respectively.
- Texas (17,779)
- Iowa (6,173)
- California (6,088)
- Oklahoma (5,177)
- Kansas (3,959)
- Illinois (3,461)
- Colorado (2,905)
- Minnesota (2,688)
- North Dakota (2,194)
- Oregon (2,121)
Top 10 States According to Wind Power Generation
The following states led the United States in renewable energy generation. The data below was taken from The Department of Energy.
- Texas (36.8 GW)
- Iowa (12.4 GW)
- Oklahoma (11.99 GW)
- Kansas (8.2 GW)
- Illinois (7 GW)
- California (6.1 GW)
- Colorado (5.2 GW)
- Minnesota (4.6 GW)
- North Dakota (4.3 GW)
- New Mexico (4.2 GW)
California ranks third on the most turbines list. Still, it falls to sixth place in wind energy generation as Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois climb the list.
The list indicates that California has less power per turbine compared to the states ahead of it. Also, this is a sign that California, which was ahead of other states in advancing wind farms, needs to repower and reinvest in its wind farms.
Texas takes the top of the pole in the number of wind turbines list and wind generation capacity. In a 2017 map produced by Matt Crawford of Texas A&M University, it is clear that wind turbines are making an impact on Texas, its landscape, and communities.
In 2017 when Texas A&M University commissioned the map, the installed capacity of Texas from wind was only 20 gigawatts which is only 55.56% of its installed capacity in 2022. Most wind turbines are in the west, south, and central regions, including the Texas Panhandle and the wind belt of the US.
The wind farm projects pipeline in Texas targets an increase of the wind’s total installed capacity to 40 gigawatts.
Texas’ Electricity Generation and Requirements
According to the Energy Information Administration, Texas leads the country’s energy consumption in all sectors. Specifically, its industrial sector is the sector that consumes the most electricity.
Texas industrial sector’s electricity use comprises 23% of electricity consumption in all industries of the United States. Its industries likewise consume half of the electricity generation in Texas.
This trajectory from Texas industries reflects in their export numbers. Texas tech exports accounted for $50 billion in revenue in 2021. The industrial sector drives the Texas economy by revenue and investor confidence in the “Made in Texas” brand.
Total electricity generation diversifies from sources that include solar farms and a comprehensive wind power industry to meet the energy demand.
The energy production of Texas relies heavily on wind farms. At 20.79%, the wind energy production of Texas leads its Coal, Nuclear, and Solar sources. Natural Gas heads all electricity generation sources at 48.82%.
Total electricity generation in Texas from wind is likewise a national leader. Wind farm production from other states needs to catch up.
Texas produced 12% of electricity generation from all sources country-wide in 2021. This production seems far off compared with natural gas, but worth noting when thinking of the future potential of the wind. Following some math calculations, wind power, which is 20% of overall electricity generated in Texas, is 2.4% of all electricity generation in the United States.
Wind Energy Capacity
Texas has the highest wind energy capacity in the United States at 36.8 GW in 2022.
The wind farm projects of Texas succeeded to the point that the wind power capacity of Texas now accounts for 26% of all wind-powered electricity generation in the country.
The commercial wind farms in Texas grew and expanded wind energy generation. According to the USGS wind turbines database, Texas has 266 individual wind farm project sites.
Large Wind Farms in Texas
This investment of Texas in its energy requirements helps expand commercial wind farms.
The largest wind farms in Texas are also in league with the largest wind farms in the United States. These are the top five largest wind farms in Texas:
- Los Vientos Wind Farm (912 MW)
- Roscoe Wind Farm (781 MW)
- Javelina Wind Energy Center (748 MW)
- Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center (735 MW)
- Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm (662 MW)
The largest wind farm in Texas is the Los Vientos Wind Farm. Most of these wind farms developed and expanded gradually through the years. Javelina Wind Energy Center started in 2015 with a 248 MW facility. It expanded in 2018 to 748 MW after its second and third phases.
Offshore Wind Energy
As of 2022, there is no offshore wind energy generation in Texas.
However, like the Atlantic states, the potential for Texas offshore wind production has caught the eye of the federal government. It is possible to achieve utility-scale wind turbines on the Gulf Coast.
According to a 2021 report by Offshore for Wind America, the Gulf states have the potential to produce 1,400 terawatt-hours of electricity from the Gulf of Mexico.
Compared to the consumption of the Gulf states in 2019, this production is twice the amount that the Gulf states produced in 2019. For Texas, the potential offshore wind production is 712 terawatt-hours which is 166% of the 429 terawatt-hours from all sources in 2019, including coal and natural gas.
So far, the Biden administration is exploring two potential offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico. One is near the coast of Texas, and the other is near Louisiana. For the wind farm near Texas, the proposed location is 24 miles off the coast of Galveston and will cover 546,645 acres. Both wind farms can power up to 3 million homes.
Economic Benefits of Wind Energy
The wind industry in Texas has attracted $42 billion in private investments. More importantly, these investments mostly went to rural areas where there are no sufficient investments from other industries, government or private.
Apart from the developers’ local investments, new revenue streams expanded the tax income of counties. Annually, wind farms pay $258 million in taxes to counties and Texas.
The tax base of the counties where wind farms operate also has significantly improved. Ranchers, farmers, and families who lease their land for turbines receive $70 million from lease payments.
Furthermore, as wind power provides for 20% of the electricity generation in Texas, large companies and industries are empowered by the presence of wind as a backup and consistent source of electricity.
Large companies invested in Texas are Tesla, SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Raytheon, Blue Origin, American Airlines, Samsung, Toyota, Apple, and many others.
As the Texas wind industry improves the grid’s reliability, the companies relying on the wind get a leg up when increasing production. Hence, Texans receive more work opportunities from growing companies, and as a result, the tax revenues of the state increase.
Consequently, the arrival of large companies in Texas will attract more business, capital, and residents who are moving from other states. Overall, this would further boost the economy.
Wind energy can boost industries in Texas, including advanced manufacturing, aviation, defense, and aerospace.
Wind Turbine Technology in Texas
The vast number of classes of turbines available help wind energy development in Texas. Texas commercial wind farms commonly use the following brands:
- General Electric Wind (8,323)
- Vestas (3,133)
- Siemens / Gamesa / Siemens Gamesa (2,896)
- Mitsubishi (1,366)
- Nordex (738)
Unsurprisingly, GE is the leader among turbines installed because it has a large base and office in Texas.
Research and Development
One of the key cities in researching wind energy is Lubbock–the 11th largest city in Texas. Some of the Lubbock research centers for wind power are the following:
- The Scaled Wind Farm Technology facility (SWiFT)
- The Pantex Renewable Energy Project
- Group NIRE
- Reese Technology Center
These are just some of the projects undertaken in Texas to expand wind energy. Universities such as Texas Tech University also played a vital role in all these projects.
Can I install a wind turbine in my residence?
There are plenty of considerations before installing wind turbines at home. Here are personal criteria to jumpstart your foray into a standalone wind turbine.
- Wind speeds of at least 4 meters per second or 9 miles per hour
- Independence from the grid operator
- Preference for clean energy production
- Expensive cost to maintain or achieve grid connection
The following information is also needed to make the initial decision and jump into clean energy at home.
- Knowledge of permitting and licensing in your state and county
- Presence of credible installers
- Long-term economic incentives for installing a wind turbine
The size of the wind turbine and its specifications, installers can help you determine the specifications. Typically, small wind turbines range from 400 watts to 20 kilowatts. If your requirement is around 300 kilowatt-hours per month, a 1.5-kilowatt wind turbine will provide substantial output. Ideally, 6.26 meters per second wind speeds are necessary for this site.
Future Wind Farms
4.7 GW of installed capacity is in the project pipeline in Texas. The new generation capacity is 13% of the American future capacity of onshore wind farms.