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Wind power in Arkansas

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Wind power in Arkansas remains nearly untapped, with just a single wind turbine in the state.[1][2] Arkansas does not have a renewable portfolio standard.[3] Studies have concluded that while Arkansas is generally considered to have low wind resources, there are significant pockets of it throughout the state.[4][5]

Import by transmission

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The Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) purchases electrical power from wind farms outside the state, including[6] 51MW from Flat Ridge 2 Wind Farm in Kansas.[7][8] In 2013 AECC entered a long-term agreement to buy 150 megawatts of wind energy from Oklahoma from the RES Americas-built Origin Wind Farm, which has 75 turbines in Murray County and Carter County, Oklahoma, and came on line at the end of 2014.[9][10] It was taken over by Enel.[11]

Wind Catcher project

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In 2018, SWEPCO, an Arkansas utility, faced opposition to its $4.5 billion Wind Catcher project,[12][13] and indicated that ads opposing the project were being sponsored by an unknown non-profit, "Protect Our Pocketbooks".[14]

SWEPCO entered a settlement in which it agreed to "provide a number of guarantees, including a cap on construction costs, qualification for 100 percent of the federal Production Tax Credits, [and] minimum annual production from the project."[15]

The Wind Catcher project involved "acquisition of a 2,000-megawatt wind farm under construction in the Oklahoma Panhandle and construction of a 360-mile dedicated generation tie line to the Tulsa area, where the existing electrical grid ... [would] deliver the wind energy to customers."[14]

The Wind Catcher Energy Connection project was approved by the Arkansas Public Service Commission and the Louisiana Public Service Commission in 2018.[16][17]

Existing wind power capacity

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Arkansas is home to one wind energy company, LM Windpower, which builds wind turbine blades at a plant in Little Rock,[18] and to 12 facilities involved in the wind energy industry, such as PPG Industries and ABB.[19]

A 100-foot wind turbine near Prairie Grove was the only turbine in the state.[20]

Potential

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It is estimated that Arkansas could install 9,200 MW of wind generation capacity based on 80 meter hub height turbines. This could potentially generate 26.906 TWh of electricity each year.[21] In 2015 Arkansas used 46.346 TWh of electricity.[22] Raising the hub height to 110 meters, though, vastly increases the potential to 180,978 MW, capable of generating over 555 TWh of electricity each year.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Renewable Energy in Arkansas" (PDF). Acore. October 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  2. ^ "NRDC: Renewable Energy in Arkansas". nrdc.org. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  3. ^ "State Renewable Portfolio Standards and Goals". National Association of State Legislatures. February 19, 2015. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Low Wind Speed Case Study - Arkansas Wind Energy Resource" (PDF). Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. October 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  5. ^ "Arkansas Wind Energy Fact Sheet" (PDF). Southeast Wind Coalition. December 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation adds 108 megawatts of wind energy - News - Newport Independent - Newport, AR - Newport, AR". Archived from the original on 2016-08-26.
  7. ^ "Arkansas Co-ops Commit to More Wind". Electric Co-op Today. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  8. ^ "Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation Adds Wind Capacity". Ozarks Electric Cooperative. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  9. ^ "Oklahoma wind farms to provide power to Arkansas, Nebraska". NewsOK.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  10. ^ Administrator. "RES Americas". res-americas.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Enel takes helm at 150MW Origin". reNEWS - Renewable Energy News. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  12. ^ Tennille, Grant (2018-02-27). "Why Oklahoma's Wind Catcher is a bad deal for Arkansas". Talk Business & Politics. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  13. ^ Tidwell, John (2018-05-01). "Don't Let New York Drive Energy Policy for Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas". National Review. Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  14. ^ a b Brantley, Max (2018-03-07). "Mystery: Dark money behind opposition to wind energy project". Arkansas Times. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  15. ^ "SWEPCO Announces Arkansas Settlement Supporting Wind Catcher Energy Connection". www.swepco.com. 2018-02-20. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  16. ^ "Arkansas Public Service Commission Approves Wind Catcher Project". Transmission & Distribution World. 2018-05-10. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  17. ^ "Louisiana Public Service Commission Approves Wind Catcher Project". Transmission & Distribution World. 2018-06-21. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  18. ^ Barnes, Sam (2019-02-26). "At Michoud, LM Wind Power taps into a growing market". 10/12 Industry Report. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  19. ^ "Arkansas Wind Energy Fact Sheet" (PDF). Southeastern Wind Coalition. December 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  20. ^ Holtmeyer, Dan (2018-05-21). "Lone turbine in Prairie Grove a remnant of Arkansas wind power". Arkansas Online. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  21. ^ "Estimates of Windy Land Area and Wind Energy Potential, by State" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-12-29. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  22. ^ "Electric Power Monthly - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  23. ^ "Potential Wind Capacity". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
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