Wind Energy in the Northern Plains of the United States

Introduction

Fig. 1: An Iowa crop field home next to multiple wind turbines (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

The vast expanse of the northern plains in the United States, including states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, and parts of Nebraska, offers ideal conditions for the expansion of wind energy infrastructure. This region, renowned for its open landscapes and agricultural richness, is increasingly becoming a focal point for sustainable energy development. Beautiful landscapes with wind farms encroaching as pictured in Fig. 1 are becoming common. This surge is driven by the imperative to transition towards a sustainable and clean energy future, bolster the reliability, security, and resilience of the national grid, and mitigate the environmental impact of traditional fossil fuels. This report will introduce some of the present successes and future endeavors of the northern plain states in harnessing wind energy as the global community addresses the challenges of climate change.

Current Figures

In 1990 the Pacific Northwest Laboratory calculated that the six Northern Plains states have the theoretical potential to produce the equivalent of 109 percent of total power consumed by the 48 contiguous United States. The Northern Great Plains aims for approximately 30 GW of wind energy capacity by 2030, emphasizing the need for appropriate siting and mitigation strategies to minimize impacts on wildlife. [1]

Currently, the Northern Plain states are leaders in in state wind generations. As seen in the Table 1, the Northern Plain states all generate at least 10% of in-state energy from Wind. Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota are leaders of wind generation bolstering greater than 30% from wind. These rank as first, third, and fourth respectively for continental U.S. states. [2]

Challenges and Limitations

Despite the promising growth, the development of wind energy in the upper plains faces challenges. Primary issues arise in the required investment in transmission, storage, and digitalization. For example, a few targets needing addressed while integrating wind are improving forecasting, expanding transmission networks, deploying energy storage, and modernizing the grid. [3] Furthermore, wind energy, while promising, has significant land and ecological impacts. This issue is especially pertinent in the plains as the agricultural land use percentage is significantly greater than other continental US regions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the northern plains of the United States are undergoing a significant energy transformation, shifting from traditional fossil fuels to renewable sources. Current figures indicate substantial growth, particularly in wind projects. However, addressing challenges like intermittency and infrastructure constraints is crucial for sustained success. The future holds promise, with ongoing projects poised to contribute to the wind energy portfolio of the northern plains, playing a role in the broader national effort towards a sustainable energy future.

© Shane Blinkman. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.

References

[1] J. Fargione et al., "Wind and Wildlife in the Northern Great Plains: Identifying Low-Impact Areas for Wind Development," PLOS One 7, e41468 (2012).

[2] R. Wiser et al., "Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition," U.S. Department of Energy, DOE/GO-102021-5611," August 2021.

[3] M. Motyka et al., "Renewable Transition - Separating Perception From Reality," Deloitte Insights Magazine, No. 30, 71 (Summer, 2022).