Oklahoma overtook Illinois last year as the nation’s fourth-largest wind power producer.
Illinois, which had been the fourth largest wind energy state behind Texas, California and Iowa for several years running, installed no new wind capacity in 2014. Meanwhile, Oklahoma added 648 megawatts last year. Oklahoma wind farms have a capacity of 3,782 megawatts, while Illinois has 3,568, according to a report out today by the American Wind Energy Association that contains the new rankings.
At 14,094 megawatts, Texas is far and away the national leader. Nationwide, the wind industry’s capacity grew 8 percent in 2014.
Illinois’ lack of growth had much to do with the ongoing stalemate over “fixing” the state’s 2011 clean power law, which wind industry leaders blame for holding back new projects.