Wind power in South Dakota facts for kids
The state of South Dakota is a leader in the U.S. in wind power generation with over 30% of the state's electricity generation coming from wind in 2017. In 2016, South Dakota had 583 turbines with a total capacity of 977 megawatts (MW) of wind generation capacity. In 2019, the capacity increased to 1525 MW.
South Dakota is one of the country's windiest states, and has the potential of installing 882,000 MW, and generating 2,902 billion kWh/year. Just as in Texas, the construction of new wind farms is transmission line limited.
Summary statistics
List of wind farms in South Dakota
The following is an incomplete list of wind farms.
| Name | Size (MW) | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beethoven Wind Farm | 80 | Tripp | June 2015 |
| Buffalo Ridge I Wind Farm | 77 | 44°21′N 96°24′W / 44.350°N 96.400°W | April 2009 |
| Buffalo Ridge II Wind Farm | 210 | 44°19′N 96°28′W / 44.317°N 96.467°W | December 2010 |
| Crow Lake Wind Project | 162 | 43°56′N 98°48′W / 43.933°N 98.800°W | February 2011 |
| Day County Wind Farm | 99 | 45°25′N 97°43′W / 45.417°N 97.717°W | April 2010 |
| MinnDakota Wind Farm | 150 | 44°24′N 96°16′W / 44.400°N 96.267°W | January 2008 |
| South Dakota Wind Energy Center | 40.5 | 44°21′N 99°28′W / 44.350°N 99.467°W | 2003 |
| Tatanka Wind Farm | 88.5* | 45°56′N 98°58′W / 45.933°N 98.967°W | March 2008 |
| Titan Wind Project | 25 | 44°31′N 99°12′W / 44.517°N 99.200°W | December 2009 |
| Wessington Springs Wind Project | 51 | 44°05′N 98°34′W / 44.083°N 98.567°W | February 2009 |
- * In South Dakota
Wind generation
All across the midwest, the Aermotor Windmill and others like it, have been used for a century for pumping water
| South Dakota Wind Generation (GWh, Million kWh) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2010 | 1,372 | 43 | 31 | 51 | 81 | 98 | 67 | 64 | 77 | 132 | 130 | 134 | 134 |
| 2011 | 2,692 | 184 | 263 | 234 | 301 | 280 | 206 | 148 | 156 | 142 | 253 | 275 | 256 |
| 2012 | 2,914 | 288 | 224 | 289 | 286 | 270 | 227 | 183 | 174 | 198 | 294 | 262 | 214 |
| 2013 | 2,687 | 260 | 213 | 230 | 272 | 236 | 201 | 157 | 150 | 201 | 256 | 284 | 227 |
Source:
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Wind power in South Dakota Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.