Wind power in Nebraska

2006 United States Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory NE wind resource map

Wind power in Nebraska remains largely untapped in comparison with its potential. In the Great Plains, with more than 47,000 farms and open skies it ranks near the top in the United States in its ability to generate energy from wind.^[1] As of 2014, installed wind capacity was 812 MW produced by 475 wind turbines at 16 wind farms and other facilities the state,^[2][3] up from 459 MW in 2012.^[4] As of 2015, the state had not adopted a renewable portfolio standard.^[5] Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) is one of the state's largest purchasers of wind energy.^[6]

Salt Valley, near Lincoln, 2006

Wind for Schools

An initiative of the Department of Energy, the Wind for Schools program supported the construction of small scale wind turbines at schools throughout state to encourages the incorporation of renewable energy education into the science curriculum. In Nebraska, wind turbines were installed at twenty-five K-12 schools, four community colleges and the Wind Applications Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.^[7] Locations include various elementary and high schools, and community colleges including those Bancroft, Bloomfield, Cedar Rapids, Crawford, Creighton, Diller-Odell High School, Elkhorn Valley, Hastings, Hayes Center, Hyannis, Logan View, Loup City, Merdian-Daykin, Mullen, Norfolk, Norris,^[8] Oshkosh, Papillion-LaVista South High School, Pleasanton, Superior, West Holt and Southeast Community College,^[9][10]

Utility installations

Nebraska's first utility-scale wind project with two 750 kW Zond wind turbines came on-line in 1998 west of Springview and operated until 2007.^[11]

See also

• Solar power in Nebraska
• Wind power in the United States
• List of wind farms

References

Wind power in the United States
American Wind Energy Association NASA wind turbines United States Wind Energy Policy Wind farms in the US Offshore wind farms in the US Wind Powering America
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Large wind farms	Alta Wind Energy Center Altamont Pass Biglow Canyon Buffalo Gap Capricorn Ridge Cedar Creek Fowler Ridge Highland Horse Hollow Klondike Lone Star Meadow Lake Panther Creek Peetz Peñascal Roscoe San Gorgonio Pass Shepherds Flat Tehachapi Pass Windy Point/Windy Flats
Wind power companies	Aermotor Windmill Company Deepwater Wind GE Wind Energy Iberdrola Renovables Infigen Energy Invenergy National Wind Native Wind NextEra Energy Resources Siemens Wind Power UGE International Vestas Wind Capital Group