This is How Much Renewable Energy Oklahoma is Producing

Within weeks of taking office, President Joe Biden issued a series of executive orders aimed at making the U.S. carbon neutral by 2050. This goal hinges on eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in electricity production — which necessitate a shift away from fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, toward clean renewable energy sources, like wind and solar.

Currently, only 17.7% of electricity produced in the United States comes from renewable sources. Nationwide, wind turbines generate the most electricity, followed by hydroelectric power plants and solar thermal power. Biomass, such as wood and agricultural waste, as well as geothermal energy, are renewable sources that account for a very small share of the U.S. energy mix.

Meanwhile, greenhouse gas-emitting coal and natural gas-fired power plants account for over half of all U.S. electricity production.

While, as a nation, the U.S. has a long way to go to achieve carbon neutrality, at a state level, progress is patchy. In some states, less than 5% of electricity production comes from renewable sources, while in others, fossil fuels have been virtually phased out.

Nearly 40% or electricity produced in Oklahoma comes from renewable sources, a larger share than in all but 10 other states. Like many other states in the Great Plains region, Oklahoma’s power grid relies substantially on wind. Over one-third of all electricity in Oklahoma comes from wind alone, the third largest share among states. Hydro power also accounts for nearly 5% of electricity generation in the state.

Oklahoma is also home to many of the largest natural gas fields in the United States. And although the largest power plant in the state is coal fired, natural gas is Oklahoma’s largest source of electricity, accounting for over half of all annual production.

To determine renewable energy production by state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on electricity generation by source in 2019 from the Energy Information Administration. States were ranked based on the electricity generated from renewable sources — which include conventional hydroelectricity, wind, wood and wood-derived fuels, other biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal and photovoltaic — as a percentage of electricity generated from all sources. Data on electricity from non-renewable sources and historical electricity data also came from the EIA. Data on the average sale price of electricity came from the EIA and is for 2019.

It is important to note that not all renewable energy sources are carbon neutral, just as not all non-renewable energy sources emit greenhouse gases. Biomass, such as waste wood and crop residue is renewable, however, when burned to produce electricity, it creates carbon. Similarly, though nuclear power plants are not classified as renewable sources, they do not produce air pollution. Still, some forms of biomass produce far less carbon emissions than fossil fuels.

Rank:State:Electricity production from renewables:Largest renewable energy source:Largest non-renewable energy source:1Vermont99.9%HydroelectricNatural gas2Maine78.6%HydroelectricNatural gas3Idaho76.3%HydroelectricNatural gas4South Dakota73.8%HydroelectricCoal5Washington69.8%HydroelectricNatural gas6Oregon62.2%HydroelectricNatural gas7California48.2%HydroelectricNatural gas8Montana44.7%HydroelectricCoal9Iowa43.6%WindCoal10Kansas41.7%WindCoal11Oklahoma39.1%WindNatural gas12North Dakota35.0%WindCoal13Alaska29.7%HydroelectricNatural gas14New York28.5%HydroelectricNatural gas15Nevada28.4%SolarNatural gas16Colorado24.9%WindCoal17Minnesota24.3%WindCoal18New Mexico24.2%WindCoal19Nebraska23.2%WindCoal20Texas18.8%WindNatural gas21New Hampshire17.2%HydroelectricNuclear22Massachusetts15.6%SolarNatural gas23Tennessee13.9%HydroelectricNuclear24North Carolina12.7%SolarNuclear25Wyoming12.7%WindCoal26Hawaii12.1%WindPetroleum27Utah10.9%SolarCoal28Arizona10.8%HydroelectricNatural gas29Alabama10.6%HydroelectricNatural gas30Wisconsin9.4%HydroelectricCoal31Maryland9.1%HydroelectricNuclear32Georgia8.9%WoodNatural gas33Arkansas8.8%HydroelectricCoal34Michigan8.5%WindCoal35Illinois8.2%WindNuclear36Indiana7.1%WindCoal37Missouri6.8%WindCoal38Kentucky6.5%HydroelectricCoal39Virginia6.4%WoodNatural gas40Rhode Island6.2%BiomassNatural gas41South Carolina6.0%HydroelectricNuclear42West Virginia5.2%HydroelectricCoal43Pennsylvania3.9%HydroelectricNatural gas44Louisiana3.6%WoodNatural gas45Florida3.5%SolarNatural gas46Connecticut3.3%BiomassNatural gas47New Jersey2.8%SolarNatural gas48Ohio2.7%WindNatural gas49Mississippi2.6%WoodNatural gas50Delaware2.3%BiomassNatural gas

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