Wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

has limited potential for development within the state since there are generally low wind speeds, though there are specific locations where it can be effective. The state has not passed renewable portfolio standard legislation and there are no commercial-scale

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each yea ...

s. Kentucky may benefit from the development of wind power in Tennessee, an adjoining state with which it is collaborating, and from efforts by the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

to both develop and import wind-generated electricity into the region.

Kentucky New Energy Ventures

Established in 2008, the Kentucky New Energy Ventures was a state program to incentivize the development and commercialization of

alternative fuel Alternative fuel, known as non-conventional and advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels like; ''fossil fuels'' (petroleum (oil), coal, and natural gas), as well as nuclear materi ...

and renewable energy products, processes, and services. The program concluded in 2017 and has not been renewed by State. The funds could have been used to stimulate private investment in Kentucky-based technology companies with high growth potential. KNEV made seed capital grants of $30,000 and investments ranging from $250,000 to $750,000+.

Mason County

In 2012 Mason County passed an ordinance which would prohibit the construction of large-scale

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...

s., except in previously designated industrial zones, but would permit mid to small scale turbines for use at a principal site, but not for sending the energy across electric transmission lines. Efforts by Duke Energy and

NextEra Energy NextEra Energy, Inc. is an American energy company with about 58 GW of generating capacity (24 GW of which were from fossil fuel sources), revenues of over $18 billion in 2020, and about 14,900 employees throughout the US and Canada. It is the ...

to develop a wind farm at Mays Lick were discontinued.

Tennessee Valley Authority

The

service area covers most of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, portions of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, and

, and small sections of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. As of 2013, the agency, in addition to the Buffalo Mountain Windfarm, had purchased agreements from power generated from wind farms outside its service area: *2012 -

Enel Enel S.p.A. is an Italian multinational manufacturer and distributor of electricity and gas. Enel, which originally stood for Ente nazionale per l'energia elettrica (National Electricity Board), was first established as a public body at the ...

Green Power, LLC - 201MW - Caney River Wind Farm,

Elk County, Kansas Elk County (county code EK) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,483. Its county seat and most populous city is Howard. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Plai ...

. *2012-

Invenergy Invenergy is an American based multinational power generation development and operations company. The company develops, builds, owns and operates power generation and energy storage projects in the Americas, Europe and Asia, including wind, solar, ...

- 200MW - Bishop Hill Wind Energy Center,

Henry County, Illinois Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2010 United States Census, listed its population at 50,486. Its county seat is Cambridge. Henry County is included in the Davenport- Moline- Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan ...

*2012- Invenergy - 200MW - California Ridge Wind Energy Center in

Champaign County, Illinois Champaign County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 205,865, making it the 10th-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Urbana. Champaign County is part of the Champaign–Urbana ...

*2012-

NextEra Energy Resources NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (NEER) is a wholesale electricity supplier based in Juno Beach, Florida. NEER is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy (), a Fortune 200 company. Prior to 2009, NextEra Energy Resources was known as FPL Energy. NextEra ...

- 150MW - White Oak Energy Center,

McLean County, Illinois McLean County is the largest county by land area in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 169,572. Its county seat is Bloomington. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, IL Metropolit ...

*2012- NextEra Energy Resources- 165MW - Cimarron Wind farm,

Gray County, Kansas Gray County (county code GY) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 5,653. Its county seat and most populous city is Cimarron. History Gray County was founded in 1881 and named for ...

A 2010 agreement with Iberdrola Renewables provides a potential 300MW future supply from Streator-Cayuga Ridge Wind Farm,

Livingston County, Illinois Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,815. Its county seat is Pontiac. Livingston County comprises the Pontiac, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is c ...

Clean Line Energy LLC is proposing 700-mile power transmission line to bring wind energy from Oklahoma and to the

Tennessee Valley The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to north Alabama and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Car ...

. The TVA would import 1,750 megawatts, about half of the power that could be transmitted. Developers begun in 2007 to seek regulatory approval for the $2 billion project, but it's expected to take at least 2020 to acquire it before construction can begin.

References

External links

A Guide to Small Wind for Tenn and KyWind Action Kentucky
{{Wind power in the United States

Kentucky New Energy Ventures

Mason County

Tennessee Valley Authority

See also

References

External links