Oklahoma saw the dedication ceremony of a new wind farm last Wednesday outside of the Northern town of Blackwell. The plant began producing power in December of 2016.
The facility entitled the Frontier Wind Power Project headed by Duke Energy Renewable will add a storage capacity of 200 MW of green energy, enough to provide power to about 60,000 households on average. This is supplied by 61 3.3 MW turbines manufactured by Vestas. What is unique about these particular turbines is their 126 meter long rotors, which are the largest in the country in use, according to Duke Energy.
The ceremony was attended by State Representative John Pfeiffer, who is the Republican House member for this district. During his speech at the event, he stated, “Wind energy is progressive and beneficial to the economy of Oklahoma. I’m grateful to companies like Duke Energy Renewables that are unlocking the potential of this important resource to the benefit of our state.”
Oklahoma is a state that has seen a massive increase in wind power as a late, partially due to its perfect climate for harvesting the alternative energy source. In order to further entice companies to open up shop in the state, legislation has been passed that lowers tax burdens on prospective projects. This includes their Zero Emission Tax Credit, a measure that’s purpose is clear in its name. House Bill 2298 enhances this by widening the timeframe companies have to take advantage of the tax credit.
Oklahoma currently sits as the 3rd largest state in the nation in terms of wind power capacity, and only looks to continue this trend; they are clearly proud of their state song.
